Blood of the Innocent
by Kodachrome
Summary: Sora is kidnapped by a vampire, and now it is up to Tai, Matt, Izzy, Kari, and T.K. to get her back. Taiora with mild hints of Takari, set in 02.
1. Returning Evil

The creature watched as the sun slowly sank on the horizon, painting the sky a crimson hue, mixed with splashes of violet, ind

Author's Note: Alright, I've taken a step aside from writing my usual fics to write this story for SomeguyY2k's Digimon vampire fic contest. It's my very first and probably last Taiora fic. lol. Anywho, it's nothing like I've ever written before, so I'm giving you fair warning. Oh, and please excuse the crappy title. I racked my brain for days to come up with a good one, but that's all I have to show for it. Well, hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: ….I claim to own nothing but my own insanity.

Rating: You better believe this is an R-rated fic!! I even had doubts about posting it!

The creature watched as the sun slowly sank on the horizon, painting the sky a crimson hue, mixed with splashes of violet, indigo, and orange. Of course the crimson color is what he delighted in the most. It was the very color of what kept him alive for so many hundreds of years. The color of innocent blood. He was perched upon a hideous looking gargoyle, overlooking the front steps of the Odaiba Museum. His preternatural eyes squinted in the moonlight. Unlike all the many other nights he had come out to stalk his prey, this night was different. It was the night of the full moon, a natural phenomenon that only occurred once a month. And that's what made it so special. 

The creature knew that on nights like these, the humans became ever the more superstitious. Perhaps it was because of all the horror movie folklore about demons and werewolves appearing during the light of the full moon. In any case, the eerie glow of the moonlight made his presence all the more fantastic to his victims. 

That was another thing he strived for, not only his common vampire lust for blood, but he also took great pleasure in watching his victim's faces light up in fear. To him, it was even more delicious than partaking in the blood.

His concentration was broken by his vampire instinct alerting him of potential prey. With one fluid motion, he leapt from the rooftop and glided silently to the ground for a closer inspection. Before him stood two lovers, taking a quiet evening stroll under the stars. Lovely, he thought, as he admired the couple. He slowly ran his tongue along his fangs, which were dripping with saliva at the thought of the malicious act he was about to commit.

"Is this not a beautiful night Li?" the young girl giggled as she squeezed the young man's arm tighter. He looked into her eyes fondly and sighed.

"Only because you are here Kiyone." He replied, but his expression turned to one of confusion when he noticed the ebony-haired girl's eyes widen in horror. Her mouth quivered as if she were about to say something.

"What is it?" Li asked, his brow furrowing in frustration. Then suddenly, Li felt two clammy hands wrap around his head. He panicked when he heard Kiyone scream in terror as she let go of his arm. Li struggled to see who his attacker was and when he was finally able to turn his head enough, all he caught a glimpse of were a set of shiny, white fangs. He pulled his head back around so that he faced his girlfriend, who was frozen with fear.

"Run Kiyone!" he screamed, right before he heard a snap and than all went black.

The creature held the lifeless body of Li in his arms. He slowly eyed Kiyone who had begun to hyperventilate; she let out an ear-piercing scream and turned to run.

"You're next my dear." The vampire said coldly as he sank his teeth into the soft flesh of Li's neck. The warm blood began to spurt and ooze into his system, flowing through his undead veins. Color began to spread into his once pale cheeks, and his strength seemed to double with each voracious gulp. When his meal was finished he tossed the body unceremoniously to the side and wiped the excess blood off his mouth with his fingertips, licking them afterwards, so as not to waste a single drop of the intoxicating liquid.

"I think I gave her enough of a head start," he mused, a small evil smile playing across his lips. Being a creature of the night, he was considerably faster than any normal human being and caught up with the hysterical girl only yards away. He swooped down upon her, latching onto her hair and jerking her backwards.

"No!" she sputtered in between desperate sobs. "Please don't hurt me! Please!" she pleaded.Her chocolate brown eyes met with his and he gave her a sympathetic hangdog expression. 

"I'm so terribly sorry," he said in mock sincerity, "that I must do this!" he snarled as he threw her up against a tree. She slammed into the trunk of the tree and arched her back in pain. The vampire held her wrist behind her back with one hand, while he leaned against the tree with his other. He loomed in closer, taking in her fearful expression and relishing in her sheer terror. She clamped her eyes shut and began to moan, as she felt his hot breath on her neck. Tears brimmed her eyes and streamed down her face.

"Blubbering like an idiot will not help you, I'm afraid," he said charismatically, "Why don't you die with a little dignity, I mean, I've killed young children braver than you."

Kiyone whimpered at the thought of this monster actually preying upon young children.

"You monster!" she cried, voicing her thoughts and at the same time spitting into his face.

"Now that's a girl." He commended, as he flicked the spit from out of the corner of his eye. Kiyone's heart beat faster, anticipating sudden death. "I'm going to enjoy this." He hissed before lunging at her neck. She let out a deafening wail of pain as her body tensed up. With each beat of her heart, more and more blood pumped through his tiny fangs and an invigorating sensation spread throughout his entire undead body. When he had finished his deed, when Kiyone had breathed her final breath, he hoisted the young woman's body over his shoulder and carried her back to where he had disposed of Li.

With his preternatural strength, he was able to carry both of them to the dumpster behind the museum, dragging Li by his shirt collar the whole way. He tossed both corpses into the trash and slammed the lid down, laughing ruthlessly as he disappeared into the darkness of the night.

The next morning, Tai Kamiya's eyes fluttered open, he blinked once and shielded his eyes from the sunlight pouring in from his bedroom window.

"Ugh," he grunted and slowly rolled out of bed yawning and rubbing his eyes a few times before stumbling down the hall and into the kitchen.

"Morning mom," he greeted, and headed towards the cabinet for a box of cereal and a bowl.

"Morning dear," she replied, "Sleep well?"

"I guess." He answered hazily, still trying to rub the sleep from his eyes.

"Good morning to you too, Tai!" His little sister chirped.

Tai glanced around his mother to see Kari seated at the kitchen table, already indulging in a bowl of cereal and some toast.

"Sorry Kari, I didn't see you there." He apologized, sluggishly walking over to the table. He pulled up a seat next to his sister and plopped down in it. His mother brushed by him and into the living room to turn on the morning news.

"Oh my!" she gasped at the morning's breaking news.

"What is it Mom?" Kari asked with concern in her voice.

"How awful. Those poor people." She replied.

Tai jumped up from the table and trotted into the living room, wondering curiously what his mother had gotten so upset about, Kari followed suit.

"Two teenagers were murdered last night," she said shaking her head in disbelief, "Not far from here either. It's such a shame," she sighed, "Having all these weirdos running around our city."

Tai and Kari peered at the T.V. screen inquisitively. It was there friend, Yamato Ishida's father live at the scene. He was standing outside the Odaiba Museum, where police tape sectioned off the entire area.

"In light of the recent tragedy, parents are strongly urged to enforce the new 10 o'clock curfew, being implemented today until the killer is found. Back to you in the newsroom Tom." Masaharu Ishida stated before signing off.

The siblings' mother eyed the two with worry written across her face. "Now you two heard Mr. Ishida. I expect you home from your date with Sora at 9:30pm Tai. You too Kari. 9:30pm." She repeated, as if saying it a second time would embed itself in her children's memories permanently.

"But the curfew is at ten?" Kari argued, "We were all planning on going to Matt's concert tonight, that's when it ends." She gave her mom a pleading look.

"I'm sorry, but _my_ curfew stays." She said firmly.

"Yes ma'am." Kari answered, a small look of disappointment spreading across her features.

Tai shrugged, at least he was getting to go on a date this evening, most parents would overreact and forbid their kids from going out at all tonight. And still he wondered who this killer could be, just out of morbid curiosity.

Yamato Ishida sat in his bedroom strumming his guitar, trying to get it tuned perfectly for that night's performance, when the phone rang, interrupting his progress. Matt placed his guitar on the bed and walked down the hall to answer the phone.

"Ishida residence." He uttered into the receiver, as he attempted to balance the phone on his shoulder. "Hi Dad!" he said after the familiar voice of his father greeted him on the other end.

"Did you watch the news this morning son?" his father asked.

"Come on Dad, you know I don't get up that early." He laughed as he twirled the phone cord around his index finger.

"This is no time to be joking Matt. Two people were killed last night outside the museum, and the police are baffled. They think it might be a vampire of all things!"

"Stranger things have happened," his son reminded him, obviously referring to the digimon.

"I know," he sighed, "After the concert tonight, I want you to stay at the music hall until I come to pick you up. Is that clear?" he instructed.

"Sure Dad," Matt replied, wondering why his father would get so jumpy over this particular story, he covered murder stories all the time. Why would this one be any different?

After the conversation with his father had ended, Matt hung up the phone and strolled back into his room to pick up where he left off. He had just reached for the neck of his guitar when the phone rang again. Matt let out a long dramatic sigh and rolled his eyes.

"Now who is it!?" he wondered, as he paced back up the hall and grabbed the phone a second time, this time not answering with his usual courtesy.

"Hello." 

"Matt, it's Tai!" the brown-haired boy all but shouted into the phone. Matt had to pull it away from his ear for a moment until the ringing stopped.

"Hey Tai." Matt replied coolly, trying not to sound as irritated as he felt. Sure, he loved to have his friends call, but not when he was in the middle of something he considered important.

"Sorry man, my mom says I gotta leave the concert early tonight on account of the curfew."

"Yeah, I heard about that." Matt pondered for a few moments, leaving the line silent.

"Matt?" Tai interrupted, "You still there?"

"Um, yeah…I am, I was just thinking, I'd have to cut the show short tonight. There probably won't be as large of a crowd as there usually is."

"Geez, that's a bummer. Anyway, Sora and I will see you tonight, and Kari is coming along as well."

"Great, tell her T.K. is supposed to show up too. He has to help me and the band with the equipment tonight."

"Will do, later man!" Tai said as he hung up on his end.

Matt placed the receiver back on the hook and headed down the hall towards his room. He reached for his guitar and sat back down in his chair and lightly strummed the strings, feeling the instrument vibrate in his grasp. He fiddled with the tuning pins for a while until he was satisfied with the overall sound. In spite of the curfew, Matt felt that nothing else could possibly ruin this night; at least that is what he had hoped as he placed his guitar into its case and slung it over his shoulder.

Well, what do you think so far? I felt it was absolutely wicked. *shudders* I can't believe I even wrote this!! lol. If ya totally hate it, let me know. For some reason I'm expecting flames for this….

Also, there will be more Taiora stuff towards the end of the fic. To all the ppl who read my regular stories, well ya know I gotta sneak in some Matt/Tk brotherly moments. It just wouldn't be a story by me without 'em. lol. R+R please.


	2. Out of the Shadows

As another beautiful sunset lit up the evening sky with its vibrant colors, a certain creature of the night re-awakened to beg

Author's Note:Here's chapter 2 of my fic. Sorry it took a while to post. I've been kinda busy keeping up with the recent tragedy. Everyone and everything seems to be going haywire ever since that dreadful day, which leaves me little time to write. Well, my prayers are with the families and survivors! God bless!

Rating: R

Disclaimer: Once again, I do not own anything remotely related to Digimon.

As another beautiful sunset lit up the evening sky with its vibrant colors, a certain creature of the night re-awakened to begin his nightly quest for blood. One of his favorite past times was to blend in with the crowd. It amused him that he could fool these mortals so easily and it also gave him the opportunity to select his victim. He casually walked through the throng of people, taking in every scent and sight that was offered to his preternatural senses. It wasn't until something caught his eye, did he stop in the continuously flowing crowd. He made his way over to a newsstand and smiled wickedly at the headline of one of the papers. He had always enjoyed admiring his own handiwork. He picked up the paper and began to read the article printed on the front page. 

"Hey buddy, this isn't a library!" the shop owner sneered.

He gave the man a menacing look. It was only dusk and he had already come across his first victim for the night. The vampire licked his lips and was about to consider how he would go about this particular kill, when he noticed a small picture and headline at the bottom of the page.

**Teenage Wolves to play sold out show.**

The picture was of a blonde boy plucking a bass guitar and singing into a microphone, while his band played on in the background.

"Interesting." He hissed. He had always wanted to drink the blood of a rock star, and here he had four of them to choose from. There were other benefits to this as well, he mused, there would be hundreds of humans at this show, it would be like a buffet, he laughed.

The shop keeper gave him a strange look as he chuckled to himself, before he snatched the newspaper out of his hands.

"Either buy it, or get the hell outta here!" he snapped impatiently.

The vampire narrowed his eyes at the man and glanced around suspiciously. When he noticed that nobody was paying any attention, he lunged at the man, knocking him back behind the magazine booth. A slight groan escaped the man's lips as he penetrated his skin with his razor-sharp fangs. Moments later, he picked himself up and brushed the dirt from his coat, nonchalantly stepping back over the side of the booth, and continuing on his way.

Tai was a little nervous about picking Sora up for their date. After all, it was only the second time they'd be going out on an "official" date. He made Kari wait by Sora's mailbox, as he proceeded towards her front door. He rang the bell and tried to compose himself.

"Go get 'er tiger!" Kari cheered throwing her fist up in the air and waving it around.

"Pipe down!" Tai shouted, it was bad enough he had butterflies in his stomach, he didn't need any added embarrassment from his little sister.

Sora opened the door and greeted Tai with a cheerful hello. Tai gave her a dopey grin when she flashed her smile at him. That smile always seemed to melt his heart, and then he acted like a raving fool. Sora gave him a quick peck on the cheek and linked her arm with his.

"Tai's here Mom!" she shouted over her shoulder, "We'll be back before the curfew!"

"Alright sweety," her mother replied, "I love you! Be careful!!"

"We will!" Sora assured before shutting the door. She went to take a step forward, but noticed that Tai stood on the porch seeming unable to move.

"Are we going?" she asked a bit confused.

"Yeah," Tai said sheepishly, if only his legs would work, they felt like jell-o. It only took him a few seconds to muster up his courage and walk Sora down the driveway.

Kari folded her arms and giggled, "Aw, how cute."

Tai's face turned a bright red and he turned his head away trying to conceal it. Okay Tai, you're not a little kid anymore, you know how to act around girls, he mentally noted to himself. But Sora's not just any girl! She's…she's…well she's Sora, she's like some kind of angel on Earth. Tai knew how to act around girls, but he hadn't the slightest clue how to act around angels.

Kari slid up on the right side of her brother and whispered in his ear.

"Calm down, just relax."

"Thanks." Tai whispered back, glad that he could always count on his sis for moral support.

Takeru Takaishi struggled with one of the large speakers, as he tried to push it into place. He took a few short breathes of air and wiped the sweat from his brow while he leaned up against it.

"Man, I didn't think these things could be so heavy!" he exclaimed, watching his brother and one of his band mates carrying a large keyboard onto the stage.

"Just set it right here," Matt instructed as they both lowered the instrument to the ground.

"Whew! You aren't joking kid! I'm going to need a chiropractor after this one." He laughed, as he playfully wrapped his arm around his little brother's neck and plucked the white hat from his head, propping it up on his own. T.K. struggled to get free, but was unsuccessful until after Matt had mussed up his air. Only then did he release his grip.

"Hey!?" T.K. smiled, "Give that back! Only I look good in that hat!"

"That's okay squirt, I don't need a hat to make me look good, that comes naturally." He smirked.

"Oh please!" T.K. rolled his eyes, Matt was simply a pain to be around when he got into moments like these.

Matt only shrugged and jumped down from the stage. He ran the length of the auditorium until he was at the highest and farthest point of the complex.

"Give me a sound check Teek!!!" he hollered to his brother. T.K. slowly strode up to the mic and tapped it with his fingers a few times.

"Testing…testing 1..2..3.." he said nervously. Despite the lack of an audience, he still felt jittery about being up on stage.

"Come on bro!! You can do better than that!!!" Matt shouted as he sprinted to the other side of the auditorium.

T.K. looked around for a few seconds, checking both the side doors and the main ones. No one seemed to be around, except for Matt and the members of his band.

"Are you ready to rock!!!" T.K. screamed into the mic.

"Yeah!!!" Matt grinned, throwing his fists into the air. "I can't hear you!!!" he hollered back, racing to the opposite side of the building.

"I said…Are you ready to roccckkkk!!!" T.K. yelled at the top of his lungs. This time his voice echoed throughout the auditorium.

"ALRIGHT!!" Matt hollered throwing his hands up over his head and clapping. T.K. whirled around when he heard three more sets of clapping. He had expected it to be coming from Matt's band, but instead, he stared mortified at Sora, Tai, and Kari all standing behind him.

T.K. shrank back in humiliation, his face lighting up like a Christmas tree.

"Don't be embarrassed," Kari soothed, "That was really great!" she chirped, giving him a big smile.

T.K. gave her an awkward sideways smirk.

"So where's everybody else?" T.K. questioned, rubbing the back of his neck. He still felt a tad bit uncomfortable.

"Joe and Izzy couldn't make it, they're both studying." Tai replied.

"Studying?!? On a Saturday?" T.K. grimaced.

"Well, you know those two." Kari grinned.

"Yeah, I know 'em, but I'll never understand them." he said shaking his head.

At that moment, Matt came running back down the center aisle of the music hall. His face and shirt covered in sweat. He swept a few stray locks of sweat soaked hair out of his face as he rested his hands on his knees and panted.

"Glad…you…guys..could…make ..it." he managed in between breathes.

"Well, Sora and I are going to find some good seats before the show starts." Tai announced.

"Great," was all Matt could say, as he hopped back up onto the stage and collapsed on the floor. He lay on his back staring up at his friends.

"Just a little tired," he commented.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the group of teenagers, two incandescent eyes stared down at them from the catwalk above the arena.

"Hmmm…" he pondered shifting his gaze from one child to the next. "That one will do nicely," he said, his eyes gleaming intently on Matt. "Such raw, unbridled energy. It should not be wasted on him." He growled under his breath.

"And for dessert…" he hesitated, "I rather like that young girl." He decided, raising his eyebrow towards Sora. The vampire slowly rubbed his hands together, happily anticipating the remainder of the night.

While Kari watched T.K. and Matt set up the rest of the stage, Tai and Sora made their way up to some of the higher seats.

"These are perfect right here!" Sora chimed, pointing at a row of seats directly in the middle of the auditorium. "Not only we'll we have surround sound, but we'll be able to get a perfect view of the band!" she smiled.

Sora made her way to the seats with Tai in tow. She sat down and put her feet up on the seats in the row below them. Tai made himself comfortable in the seat next to her. After a moment or two, Tai casually slipped his hand into hers. She sighed and leaned up against him, burying her face into his shoulder. That's when his confidence returned, and he slid his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer. The two remained in their silent bliss merely watching the people on stage arrange the instruments and the sound system.

Outside the concert hall, later on that evening, the vampire was picking off excited teens one by one. Each time he drank from an unsuspecting victim, his thirst grew all the more rampant. Yearning to taste the blood of his special chosen victims.

Once he had quenched his blood lust for the time being, he perched himself upon the roof of the complex. Eagerly waiting for the moment his prey would appear. He patiently waited for an hour and a half, while the concertgoers exited the building and dispersed onto the streets.

Matt and T.K. loaded the last of the sound system, into the back of his drummer's truck, and then slammed the tailgate shut. The older blonde signaled to the driver that they were all done and the vehicle sputtered away.

"Awesome concert Matt!" Tai shouted from the doorway of the auditorium.

"Thanks!" he replied, wiping his hands on his jeans.

Kari glanced down at her watch, "Come on Tai, we gotta get Sora home. It's nine o'clock right now. Mom will kill us if we're home late!" she explained.

"See you guys later!" T.K. waved good-bye, as the three parted from the group and headed up the street.

Matt took a look at his watch as well, "So when's Mom supposed to be here?" he asked.

"Oh, she should be by in a few minutes. I told her the concert would let out earlier than expected." His brother replied. Matt picked up his guitar case and the two brothers made their way to the front of the music hall. T.K. leaned back against the building while his brother stood underneath the glow of the streetlight directly in front of him. 

The streets were virtually empty, an excellent time to attack, thought the vampire. This attack would have to be done with stealth, but not too fast. He wanted time to savor the warm, youthful blood of the blonde rock star. The dark creature ran his tongue along the outline of his deadly fangs and nimbly positioned himself to pounce. The entire time, Matt had been facing the street, when he turned to face his brother the vampire sprang into action.

Matt looked on in horror as a pair of outstretched hands came hurtling towards him. He raised his arms to shield himself, but was slammed backwards as his head made contact with the streetlight pole, producing a gut-wrenching cracking sound. Matt stood dazed for a few seconds and his vision blurred. He could feel the ice-cold hands pinning his arms behind his back.

"MATT!!" his brother cried, but it sounded so distant. He shook his head, attempting to clear it of the now present ringing noise, and after a few moments he had regained his senses. Matt panicked and tried desperately to struggle out of his captor's hold, but it seemed as though the more he retaliated, the tighter his assailant's grip became.

T.K. lunged at his brother's attacker, but with one swipe of his hand, he managed to send the boy sprawling back into the wall. T.K. fell to the floor after making impact with the wall, and did not move.

A deafening moan escaped Matt's lips as the vampire sank his teeth into the flesh around the blonde boy's neck. This sound awakened T.K. and he stared wide-eyed at the scene playing before him.

"NO!" he cried, hoisting himself up to a standing position. He glanced around frantically for a weapon, finding only his brother's guitar. He grabbed the instrument case with both hands and gripped it by the neck. The vampire was so enthralled with his latest victim, he scarcely noticed T.K. rise back to his feet.

The wiry young boy took one tremendous swing at the creature that had latched itself onto Matt's neck. The base of the instrument hit him squarely in the face, sending the vampire reeling backwards, his pointy teeth tearing into the flesh even more as he staggered back. T.K. watched as his brother immediately collapsed to his knees, clutching his neck with one hand and the back of his head with the other.

The vampire was considerably peeved now, and he gave T.K. a malevolent glare. The young boy's grip began to tighten around the instrument case, as the vampire edged his way closer to the blonde. Matt's blood dripped from the corners of his mouth and he lapped at it with his serpent-like tongue.

T.K.'s lower jaw began to quiver in fear as the creature approached him. At that pivotal moment, the vampire turned his head and a demonic hiss erupted from his throat. A pair of headlights had blinded him, as Yamato's father screeched to a halt beside the curb. He leaned over and thrust the passenger side door open.

"Get in!!!" he ordered, beckoning to his youngest son with his free hand, all the while keeping an eye on the vampire.

T.K. wasted no time; he slipped his arms underneath his brother's and lifted him into the vehicle, using the back seat door to brace himself.When his brother was safely in the passenger seat, he dove into the back seat and leaned out of the car, reaching for the door, and firmly grasped it in his hand. His father peeled out of the parking spot, just as he was slamming the door shut.

Now the vampire was more in a rage than ever. He clenched his fists and his eyes boiled a blood red.

"Oh, you won't get away that easily!" he whispered.

With his supernatural capabilities, he picked up a burst of speed and sprinted after the car. T.K. looked at his brother anxiously, who seemed to be slipping in and out of consciousness every few seconds. Blood was oozing out of the fresh wound in his neck; it had already soaked into the top half of his shirt and was now spreading to the car seat. A large welt had also started to present itself on the back of Matt's head. His father looked on in worry, while trying to concentrate on the road. He reached over to the glove box and popped it open retrieving a small first aid kit from it. He tossed it back to T.K.

"Here, find some gauze and keep it pressed over that wound." He instructed his younger son.

"Okay Dad," T.K. readily agreed. He gave his father a troubled look while fishing through the kit for some gauze.

"What is it?" his father queried, eyeing him from the rearview mirror.

"Is…is Matt going to be okay?" he barely squeaked, half afraid to find out the answer.

"As long as we get him to the hospital, he should be fine." His dad reassured.

T.K. only nodded and produced a large wad of gauze from the plastic container. He grabbed some antibiotic ointment and spread it across the cottony fabric before placing it over his brother's wound. Matt flinched in pain at the touch, but slowly relaxed his muscles after a few seconds.

While T.K. was preoccupied with his brother's condition, his father glanced back into the rearview mirror and cursed.

"Shit!"

"What's wrong Dad?" T.K. inquired, looking up from his present task. His eyes widened in utter disbelief at the site in the rearview mirror. He glanced back over his shoulder to make sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him. The vampire was quickly closing in on the small car, on foot!

Masaharu looked down at the speedometer, this was impossible, he thought. He gently applied more pressure to the accelerator and the car pulled forward. He checked back in the mirror again, and nearly released the steering wheel. Whatever it was, was still behind them and closing in fast, even though they were reaching speeds of up to 50mph.

A loud thud on the roof of the car surprised the two conscious passengers. T.K. looked up to see the imprint of a fist embedded in the roof of the car.

"Uh oh," he murmured. More loud thuds brought more fist indentations, until Masaharu finally swerved the car to the left, sending the creature flying off into the street. He skidded and finally rolled to a stop about thirty feet away. 

Mr. Ishida didn't even hesitate before slamming his foot down on the accelerator; the back tires spun leaving a cloud of white smoke in their wake. Luckily for them, the streets were pretty much abandoned due to the recent curfew and they were making excellent time en route to the hospital, despite their mishap with the vampire.

"Do you think that was the thing that killed those two people last night Dad?" T.K. asked, still holding the compress over Matt's wound.

"I'd bet on it." his father replied.

"Do you really think it's a vampire?" he asked tentatively.

"Son, I've seen a lot of strange things in this world. Up until the point you and your brother went to the digital world, I had decided that they were all just my imagination getting the better of me…but now…" he hesitated, "…now I'm willing to believe anything."

T.K. bit his lower lip and looked at his dad fearfully. Masaharu jumped back in his seat, when a large figure landed on the hood of his car. He slammed on the brakes, sending the vehicle into a spin, until it finally collided with a fire hydrant and lurched to a halt. Water shot up from the busted hydrant, creating a geyser effect that showered the front end of the car in the clear, cool liquid. The vampire, who was now drenched, punched his fist through the windshield, shattering it completely. He started to reach in, when the sight of something dangling on the rearview mirror caught his eye. He immediately jerked his hand back, and hissed at the small object. It was Mr. Ishida's crucifix. The creature leapt from the wrecked vehicle and disappeared into the darkness.

T.K. sighed in relief, as he reached up and wrapped his hand around the crucifix. He rubbed it in his palm gently, and then let it drop back into place.

"At least some of those Hollywood superstitions are true." He commented, watching as the water rained down onto the hood of the car. Both he and his father turned to face Matt when they heard a soft groan coming from his direction.

His eyes fluttered open and he immediately shot up from his seat in panic. He winced as his quick movement brought a new sensation of pain to his already tender wound. T.K. placed his hand on Matt's chest and gently pushed him back into his seat.

"Calm down Matt, it's okay." He said soothingly. Matt gazed up into his little brother's eyes, and opened his mouth to say something when a terrible scream pierced the night air. T.K. and Mr. Ishida both jerked their heads in the direction of the scream.

"S-Sora…" Matt murmured before the darkness once again engulfed him and he slid back down in the car seat.

"Matt!?" T.K. cried hysterically, one minute his brother was awake and fine, and the next…

"Calm down son," his father reassured, breaking his wild train of thought. "Look, he's still breathing, but we must get him to a hospital."

"But Sora?!" T.K. began, "…and Tai…and…" he paused for a moment, an overwhelming sense of worry boring into his heart, "…and Kari." He said in a hushed whisper. T.K. glanced down at his brother, than back at his dad.

His father said nothing, and turned the key in the ignition. The car rattled to life. It was a little worse for the wear, but at least that crash had not busted the radiator. He put it into Reverse and backed away from the gushing fire hydrant, then lined himself parallel with the street, threw it into gear and sped off down the road.

Alright, figured this was as good a place as any to stop. Well, now that I got my Matt/Tk moment out of the way *sighs* lol, the rest of the story should center on Tai and Sora, but there are a few others involved. I think this may be longer than I had originally anticipated. Anywho, R+R! 


	3. Kidnapped

Tai and Sora walked hand in hand down the street, bathed in the glow of the streetlights overhead, while Kari skipped along ah

Author's Note: Me sooo tired right now. *sighs* Welcome to the next chapter of my story. Sorry, I'm too tired to write a disclaimer, you'll just have to trust me on this one. ^_~

Rating: R….*smacks head on keyboard* Eep! Dozed off there for a few seconds…

Tai and Sora walked hand in hand down the street, bathed in the glow of the streetlights overhead, while Kari skipped along ahead of them.

"Come on slow pokes! It's almost 9:30pm!"she informed them.

Tai glanced down at his watch and then gazed longingly into Sora's deep brown eyes. "I hope you had a good time tonight." He said.

"I always have a good time when I'm with you," she cooed. That remark made Tai slightly blush. They both stared into each other's eyes, caught up in the moment, until Kari's frantic shouts broke the mood.

"TAI!" she screamed.

Tai shifted his gaze towards his little sister, "What Kari!?" he said, almost annoyed.

"Behind you!!!" she cried, her arm outstretched and her finger pointing in the direction behind her brother.

Tai tilted his head to look over his shoulder, but was knocked off his feet before he could even see what had attacked him. He raised his head and blinked a few times, trying to regain his focus. He felt a great weight pinning him to the ground and tried unsuccessfully to get up. He heard Sora scream and watched as his little sister came barreling towards them.

"No Kari! Stay back!" Tai yelled, afraid of what the attacker might do to her if she tried to interfere.

Kari skidded to a halt, "But Tai, I can't! He's hurting Sora!" she sobbed, fresh tears brimming her eyes.

That was all Taichi needed to hear. He violently pushed himself up, sending whomever it was standing on top of him, sprawling to the ground. Tai got back into a standing position and gritted his teeth. His fists were clenched and ready for action.

"Tai!" Sora cried as she ran to his side. The vampire stood back up and eyed the defiant young boy. He had already been thwarted once that night, he would not stand for another failed attempt. His long, spindly arm snaked out and he clutched Tai by the throat. Tai's hands reached up and tried to pry the icy cold fingers off of his neck, but were unsuccessful. The vampire drew his arm back and thrust Tai forward, sending him flying into Kari, both landed in a heap several feet away.

As the demonic creature smiled at his handiwork, he was caught off guard, when a well-executed kick connected with his stomach. He doubled over in slight pain and his eyes shot up into those of his assailant.

Sora looked down at him insolently. Her fists were balled up and she was in a fighting stance, prepared for whatever assault he was about to unleash upon her. There was something about this one, he thought.

Yes, she definitely possessed some sort of attraction. He couldn't take his eyes from her.

"Come on ya big goon!!" she yelled at him. He smiled seductively at her, revealing a pair of canine-like fangs. Sora was taken aback by the sight and her concentration slipped. She was suddenly confused, and glanced back over at Tai and Kari, to see if they had witnessed it too. Unfortunately, they both lay still, having not recovered from the last attack.

When Sora shifted her gaze back to the creature, she let out a startled gasp. He was right in front her. An icy cold, white hand clamped over her mouth, preventing another scream. The vampire wagged one finger in front of her.

"Ah, ah, my dear. No more screaming for you." He confirmed.

Sora's eyes widened in terror. There was that look again, he thought, that look that so entranced him. The look of fear in his victim's eyes. His mouth opened wide, and Sora winced at the sight of his fangs glistening in the glow of the streetlight. He inched ever so closer to her, his hot breath causing beads of sweat to form on her chest. Tears rolled down her soft, pink cheeks, as she helplessly awaited impending doom.

That's when the sound of screeching tires alerted the vampire a second time. He turned his head to see the same car, carrying the same people who had stopped him before.

"Damn them!" he shrieked and grabbed Sora by the wrist. "I will not be foiled again!!!"He hollered. He swept the frightened girl up into his arms and ascended into the sky. His task would have been easier if Sora had not been flailing her arms and kicking him every chance she got.

T.K. jumped out of the car and ran towards Tai and Kari, who were groggily coming to.

"Sora?" Tai weakly asked, scanning the ground for her presence.

"Up there Tai!" Kari shouted, sitting up next to him and pointing upwards.

Tai gazed up into the night sky to see his girlfriend in the clutches of the vampire fiend.

"NO!!! SORA!!" Tai screamed with every ounce of energy in him. He stumbled to his feet and stared up helplessly at the dark figure holding his beloved hostage.

"SOOORRRAAAA!!!" he wailed as the creature vanished into the pitch-black heavens. Tai felt as though his heart had been ripped into shreds. How could he have let this happen?! He collapsed to his knees and began to sob uncontrollably. Kari crawled over to him and put her hand around his shoulder.

"Tai?" she said, trying to get him to focus in on her.

"He took her Kari! She's gone! This is all my fault!!" he whimpered.

"No Tai, no. This isn't your fault." She pleaded. "Please, listen to me!"

Tai wiped a few tears from his eyes and looked at his sister, awaiting her explanation.

"If he was going to kill her, he'd have done it by now. He wouldn't have just taken her. That means we can get her back!" Kari encouraged.

"But what if we're too late, what if he does kill her…what if…" he started, but was interrupted by a voice coming from inside Mr. Ishida's car.

"You know Tai, if I was able to, I'd get up and sock you in the face." Matt said weakly.

T.K. and Kari covered their mouths, trying hard not to smirk. Tai swiped at a few more tears and allowed a small grin to show itself.

"You're right, I am overreacting…but…" he stammered.

"It's okay Tai." Mr. Ishida said, helping the boy up from the ground,"We'll help you get her back."

Kari flew into her brother's arms and gave him a big hug, which made him feel a little better, but not much.

"We'll do this together Tai." She assured him.

"Uh, I hate to ruin the moment here," Matt interjected, "But can we go to the hospital now? I'm starting to feel a little queasy."

"Nice to see you got your strength back." T.K. commented, as the three children and Mr. Ishida piled into the car.

As the vehicle sped off, Tai pressed his face against the window and looked out at the stars.

"Hang on Sora. Don't give up. We'll be there soon." He whispered.

A light beeping sound roused the sleeping boy. When he opened his eyes, his vision was slightly blurred and it took him a few seconds before he could distinguish the objects in his room. As far as he could tell, he was in a hospital. The clock on the wall read 5:25, but whether that was A.M. or P.M. he did not know. He shifted around uncomfortably, as something cold and damp drew his attention. With the hand that wasn't hooked in to any intravenous system, he reached back behind his head and produced a defrosted ice pack. He lightly pressed one finger to the back of his head and squeezed his eyes shut. The area was still tender, but the swelling had gone down, and there wasn't nearly so much pain as before.

He started to roll his shoulders back in order to get into a more comfortable position, but abruptly stopped when a surge of pain shot up and down his neck and part of his left shoulder. Matt almost didn't want to know the extent of his injuries, but gritted his teeth, and slowly peeled back a layer of gauze underneath his hospital gown. He pulled off his oxygen mask to get a better look, but from the angle he was looking at, he could scarcely make out a few stitches. He wished he'd had a mirror.

Outside the hospital room, Tai paced around nervously up and down the hallway. He had been there all night. T.K. and Mr. Ishida were sound asleep in a couple of waiting room chairs. Kari had gone home hours ago, when their parents came to pick them up, after being telephoned the news. Of course Tai had refused to leave. It wasn't only that his best friend was there, it was also because he wanted to hold Mr. Ishida to his promise, but he had decided not to relinquish that little bit of information to his parents. He was determined to find Sora, at the same time he was concerned for his friend.

Nancy Takaishi, Matt and T.K.'s mother, had also been by that night. She became very worried when she drove by to pick up her son, finding nothing but Matt's battered guitar case and a puddle of blood. That would have any mother worrying. She was on her way to the police station when she received a cell phone call confirming that her son was in the hospital. T.K. absolutely refused to go home until he knew for certain that his brother would be okay. So she left him in the care of his father, seeing as she had to go to work in the morning. She promised to call and check up on Matt's condition the minute she woke up.

Mrs. Takenouchi was another matter entirely. She became hysterical when she found out that her only daughter had been kidnapped. Despite efforts to calm her, she drove out of the hospital parking lot in a desperate rage. Tai felt completely horrible about this. He kept telling himself that he could have done more, but in actuality there was nothing he could do, and he was unwilling to admit it.

He didn't even know where to look or what to look for. The situation seemed entirely out of his hands. Tai let out a deep dramatic sigh and finally sat down in one of the empty chairs. One of the nurses walked by and gave him a concerned glance.

"Thank goodness you've finally sat down. You've been pacing these halls all night. I was about to offer you a sedative." She lightly chuckled.

Tai managed a weak smile, as he watched her enter Matt's room. A few minutes later, she came back out. Tai stood up and seized her by the arm, a look of concern written across his face. The nurse faintly smiled at him.

"He's perfectly fine now, you can go in and see him if you want. I think the doctor will release him this morning. There was extensive bleeding, but he's had a transfusion, so he should be ready to go." She explained, hoping this would soothe the young man's nerves.

Tai was satisfied at the moment, but the fact that he had lost Sora still ached in his heart. It would take more than that to put his mind at ease. Tai loosened his grip on the nurse's arm. He slowly shuffled over to the door and gently pushed it open.

The first thing that came to mind were the white walls. He had always disliked the white walls of the hospital. It brought back awful memories of when he had almost lost Kari to illness, but that was a long time ago, when they were both very, very young. Matt looked peaceful in his present condition. He was sound asleep and the only sound in the room came from the I.V. drip, and that of the oxygen tank.Tai watched the steady rise and fall of Matt's chest. Matt's eyes flickered open and he looked up at Tai who gave him a more or less, forced smile. 

"How you feeling buddy?" Tai asked.

Matt reached up and pulled the oxygen mask away from his face. "I've seen better days." He replied. "And you?"

Tai's bottom lip trembled; he did not want to cry. "F-fine." He stuttered, blinking back tears. "I'll be fine."

Matt had seen the hurt expression in Tai's face, and his eyes scanned the ground, trying to think of something to say to his friend.Something that would comfort him, but he knew nothing he said would make Tai feel better. So instead, he offered a suggestion.

"Maybe, our best plan of action would be to call Izzy." He proposed, watching for Tai's reaction.

"Izzy?" Tai thought about it for a moment. "Yeah, Izzy would know what to do. He'd know exactly what to do." Tai smiled, for once that entire night, he had felt confident about something.

Matt smiled and placed the mask back over his face, as he slowly drifted off to sleep.

"Thanks Matt." Tai said to the now sleeping form of his friend.

Tai anxiously pulled the door open and fumbled around in his pocket for Mr. Ishida's cell phone. As he was exiting the room he bumped into T.K. who looked like he had been on his way into the room.

"Sorry T.K." Tai apologized, holding the cell phone firmly in his grasp.

"Can I…?" he started to ask if it was all right for him to see his brother. Tai nodded.

"The nurse said it was fine and he'll probably be released this morning."

T.K. smiled at this news. As he was about to enter the room, he stopped and curiously glanced back over his shoulder.

"Hey Tai, who are you calling?"

"Izzy." He stated simply. T.K. nodded and proceeded forward.

Hmmm…what did ya think? I'm really fighting back efforts not to fall asleep until I'm finished w/ this closing note…Do you think I made Tai a little too melodramatic? Or is that how you'd picture him responding to something like that? Anywho, R+R please. And thanks to all the ppl who've reviewed so far. I really didn't think this fic would be very successful, but it seems I caught the attention of a few ppl and that's all that matters. *smiles*


	4. The Search Begins...

A pungent aroma began to burn the inside of her nostrils, as her eyes slowly opened, surveying nothing but darkness around her

Author's Note: Oh boy! This story's just begging to be updated, and here it is! The next chapter! Now you get to see what happened to Sora! ^_^

Rating: R, the whole fic is R, so I'll just rate all the chapters that way. Hehehe

Disclaimer: I hate writing these stupid things! Well, that is unless I have something witty to say. lol. At the moment I don't, so curse you disclaimer!! *shakes fist*

A pungent aroma began to burn the inside of her nostrils, as her eyes slowly opened, surveying nothing but darkness around her. She moved to sit up, but hit her head on something cold and hard above her. She felt around her and ran her fingers along what appeared to be silky soft linen. Sora cried out in horror upon realizing she was in a coffin!

Her arms instinctively flew up and pounded on the lid of the casket, but to no avail. It was stuck tight. Her whole body began to tremble as wild thoughts raced through her head. Had the vampire killed her? Did they think she was dead and buried her alive? Was she a vampire?! So many scenarios made her head spin and if she hadn't been entombed she very well would have vomited. Sora began to feel her face, she wasn't cold therefore, she couldn't be dead. Her fingertips traced the outline of her mouth until she ran them along her teeth. No fangs. That was a good sign, she thought.

Then quite suddenly, a flood of memories washed over her, making her stomach churn. She had been kidnapped; yes, she could clearly remember that. But by whom? She bit her lower lip and furrowed her brow in frustration until it had finally dawned on her. The vampire!

Sora's eyes began to water, she silently prayed that any moment now she would wake up and this would all be a terrible nightmare, but she had already woken up. All she could think about now was how she would escape from her prison.

She hadn't tried kicking the lid off. "Good idea," she congratulated herself. Sora raised her legs up and pressed her feet against the lid. This position was really uncomfortable, considering her cramped surroundings. She sucked in a big gulp of air before her muscles tensed and she began to push with all her might. To her surprise, the sarcophagus lid gradually slid out of place. A seam of light broke through the darkness of the coffin's interior, and Sora slipped her fingers into the small crevice and pushed the lid a few inches more. The cover must have been made of some kind of stone, she thought, because it was no easy task removing it. After about ten minutes of trying, she had finally managed to slide the heavy slab over enough so that she could step out of the casket.

The strong odor she had smelt before washed over her again. Sora let her eyes adjust to the darkness. There had only been a tiny hole in the dirt-encrusted wall, which allowed a speck of sunlight to show through. From what she could see, Sora made her surroundings out to be some sort of crypt. She cautiously made her way around the small area, covering her nose and mouth as she neared one particular spot. The odor seemed to be strongest there. Sora leaned in closer to inspect what it was and stumbled backwards, landing on her rear. Her eyes widened at the sight of the skull grinning back at her. The smell had to have been the decay of ages past.

She turned her head and held back convulsions when she made out the entire scene. Not one, but several decayed corpses lay rotting in the corner, covered in worms and maggots, which meant that some of them had been recent.Sora slowly began to crawl backwards, feeling around for something she could use to pull herself up.

Her back hit something cold and solid, which she used to push herself to her feet. She turned around to see another coffin and could only imagine the horrors contained therein. Her inquisitive nature told her to open it and see, while her common sense advised against it. Sora licked her dry lips and placed her hands upon the lid of the second casket. She braced herself and started to shove the lid off. When she had gotten it half way removed, she timidly peered inside. What she saw made her jump back in fear, nearly toppling over a second time. Her breathes came in short, quick gasps, until she shook her head and recomposed herself, somehow remembering that vampires only slept in the day light hours. And to her knowledge, it was still daylight.

Little by little she inched her way back over to the open coffin. Trying to muster up enough intestinal fortitude to investigate it further. Looking back inside the casket, she saw the outline of the vampire's figure. Two sharp animal-like fangs poked out from underneath his upper lip. It was right there and then she decided she wanted out of that horrible place as fast and as soon as possible. She struggled to push the lid back over the casket, and then began to feel along the walls for some sort of entryway or passage.

It seemed like hours had passed by before she felt a weak point in the wall. Sora forced all of her weight into the wall; she could feel it starting to give way, and tumbled out on the other side.

Sora blinked a few times before bringing herself up to her knees. She gazed around a long corridor, her mouth hanging open in wonder. There appeared to be at least twenty or thirty doors down the long stretch, and she hadn't a clue where to start. She rose to her feet and dusted herself off, inspecting her arms and legs for any minor injuries she might have sustained the night prior. The hallway was dimly lit with hundreds of candles hanging from the walls. Despite her current situation, she did admire what she thought to be lovely, scarlet red wallpaper, that is, until she got closer to it. Her hand flew up to her mouth at the ghastly sight.

"T-that's n-not wallpaper…" she choked, staring at the bloodstained walls. The horrified girl crept down the long passageway and decided to start with the doors on the left side. She slowly turned the knob to the first door and flinched as it made a loud, and very obnoxious creaking sound. The room looked ancient. Every article of furniture and ornaments that decorated the room were covered in a thick coating of dust. Sora shut the door and proceeded to the next one.

"This could take hours." She sighed forlornly. Time was something she didn't have to spare.

Koushiro Izumi was awakened by the sound of his telephone ringing. He moaned slightly as he rolled over in his bed, and blindly reached for the receiver. His eyes slid half way open as he hit the talk button with his thumb.

"Hello." He yawned.

"Izzy! It's Tai!" The brown haired boy all but shouted into the phone.

"Tai?" Izzy said hazily, glancing at his alarm clock. "It's only 6:30am, what are you doing up this early?" he queried.

"Well wake up and I'll explain everything." He replied urgently.

Izzy did as he was instructed and within twenty minutes was on the computer cross-referencing information about vampires. He only had a few hours before Matt would be released, and Mr. Ishida was supposed to pick him up so they could begin their search.

The red-headed digidestined whizzed by his mother on his way to the door, carrying his laptop under one arm, one of his shoes in the other.

"Izzy! Where are you going? You haven't had your breakfast yet!" his mother shouted.

Izzy hobbled back over to the kitchen and set his laptop down on the floor.

"Sorry mom, I'm kinda in a hurry. The guys are waiting for me." he explained as he pulled his other shoe on.

"Oh, I see. Well at least take something to eat." She said, offering him a piece of toast, which he accepted gratefully. Outside, a horn blared, and Izzy hoisted his laptop back up, raced into the kitchen and quickly pecked his mother on the cheek before bolting out the door.

"Bye!" she called after him waving.

Tai stood with the car door open as Izzy dove into the backseat, then he quickly shut the door and hopped into the front.

"Hi guys!" the redhead greeted the four other children and Mr. Ishida.

"What have you got for us Izzy?!" Tai said, not giving anyone a chance to reply.

"I got a lot of things. I found this guide to vampire hunting online." He stated.

Matt raised his eyebrow, giving Izzy a quizzical look. "Someone out there has way too much time on their hands." He said.

"Who cares? Where do we start?" Tai urged.

"Calm down Tai, this could take a while, and getting overly anxious isn't going to help you any." Izzy commented. Tai squinted his eyes at the boy and then let out a long sigh.

"Izzy's right Tai." Kari added. "Don't worry though, we'll find her." She said reassuringly.

T.K. leaned over his brother, who sat in between them in the backseat.

"Careful T.K." Matt complained, "My stitches."

"Oh sorry." He apologized, grinning sheepishly.

"Alright, it says here that vampires sleep during the day." Izzy stated.

"Yeah, yeah, we know that." Tai said impatiently.

"It says, they often chose dark, secluded places during their slumbering hours." He continued. "For example, graveyards, caves, stuff like that."

Kari thought a minute and was the first to speak up.

"The only graveyard nearby is the Odaiba Cemetery." She announced.

"Then we'll go there first." Tai said, buckling his seatbelt, as Mr. Ishida pulled out of Izzy's driveway.

Twenty minutes later, the so-called team of vampire hunters arrived outside the rusted iron gates of the Odaiba Cemetery.

"That place sure does look spooky." T.K. commented as the car slowly rolled past.

When the car had come to a complete stop, the children unbuckled their seatbelts and piled out.

"Alright, what's the game plan?" Tai asked clenching his fists.

"Well, since we have no idea what it is we're exactly looking for, I suggest we split up." Izzy advised.

"That's your plan!?" Tai shot back with a less than enthusiastic frown. "We could be wandering around here for hours!" he yelled, throwing his hands up in the air.

"Got a better idea Tai?" Matt said, folding his arms. "I'm waiting."

Tai bit his lower lip and gazed down at the gravel spread across the outside perimeter of the cemetery gates.

"Alright, fine. We'll split up." He shrugged.

"I'm with Matt!" T.K. announced before running back to the car for something.

"I'm coming with you Tai." Kari stated.

"I guess that leaves just you and me Mr. Ishida." Izzy laughed.

"Now if you kids find anything, you report back to the group." Mr. Ishida instructed, "The last thing I want is for a mob of angry parents hunting me down because one of you got hurt. Nobody's going to be a hero. Is that understood?" he stated firmly. Everyone nodded in unison.

Tai and Kari decided to begin their search on the East side of the cemetery, while Mr. Ishida and Izzy took the West. The two brothers proceeded to the North. 

Izzy carefully stepped over each marked grave, glancing at the names on the headstones. He knew the vampire would not be here, but he was going on the notion that he might find a fresh plot of dirt that the vampire might be using as a temporary hiding place. Mr. Ishida was also looking for the same.

"Up the hill further is a mausoleum." He commented to the young boy. 

"Perfect." He remarked. "Let's head over there, I don't think we'll get very far looking here." He said motioning to the ground.

Meanwhile, Matt and T.K. were racing each other along the stretch of headstones leading up to the top of the northern hill of the cemetery. The younger blonde tucked the object he had retrieved from the car into the pocket of his shorts and smiled. It was his father's crucifix, something had told him that they may need it.

"What's the hurry T.K.?" his brother asked as he ran along side him.

"There's a crypt located at the bottom of this hill, I saw it when we were driving down that winding path that leads to the front gate." He replied. "Is it really okay for you to be running with those stitches?" he asked, a hint of concern in his voice.

"They're fine, I only had to get about twelve of them, and my running isn't pulling on them!" he assured.

By the time they had reached the bottom of the hill, the two were completely out of breath. Matt shaded his eyes from the sun overhead with his right hand. He squinted at the stone-like building in front of them.

"Hey T.K., how did you know this was a crypt? I thought those were supposed to be underground?" Matt asked.

"One of my friends at school has relatives buried here. He said there was a crypt in the middle of the cemetery. When I saw this from the car, I figured it had to be it." T.K. explained as they searched for an entrance. "Actually, the top part is more of a mausoleum, but downstairs is the crypt." He added.

Matt ran his hand along the length of the structure, and paused when his hand hit something cold and metallic, a doorknob. He quickly ripped away the tangled mess of vines that had enshrouded the doorway. T.K. headed towards his brother, and stood beside him watching inquisitively as the door began to creak as he slowly pulled it towards him.

"I think they need a better gardener." T.K. said, commenting on the outer appearance of the crypt. Small weeds and vines had overrun it, and oddly enough, the grass surrounding it was almost knee high.

"It's like nobody's been here for ages." He continued.

"Why do you suppose they let it go like this?" the older blonde asked, as he stepped inside.

"Beats me?" T.K. replied, rubbing his arms as a cold chill blew by him upon entering. "Let's make this quick, this place gives me the creeps." He muttered.

Matt too began to feel the sudden coldness, and started to rub his hands together. They both scanned the names engraved on the tombs that surrounded the entire room. 

"What are we looking for?" T.K. asked feebly.

"I'm not quite sure, but just check for anything suspicious." Matt answered.

T.K. pushed the door open that led to the crypts below and slowly crept down the stone steps.

Matt was preoccupied with looking at the names that covered the walls. Behind each one lay the earthly remains of the former living. He hadn't noticed T.K. disappear down the winding corridor leading to the tombs below. A prickling sensation ran up Matt's spine and he quickly whirled around to see his brother gone.

"T.K.?" he said warily. "This isn't funny." He slowly made his way to the open crypt door.Matt peered down the stairs to see the faint glow of a light.

"Takeru?" he inquired, making his way towards the light, every nerve in him tensing up.

He had made it all the way to the bottom of the stairwell when a dark figure loomed out at him. Matt jumped back in surprise and slammed up against the cold, stone wall. His heart nearly leapt out of his chest, when he heard a familiar voice.

"Hey Matt!! Check this out!" T.K. shouted.

"T.K.!!!" he yelled, clutching his chest. He had started to say something, but all that escaped his lips was an irritated groan.

"Oops. Sorry Matt." He grinned sheepishly. "But you gotta see this!" he said, motioning towards the incandescent glow.

Matt sighed and followed his brother towards the light. It was a single candle burning in the middle of the room. It scarcely lit up the place, but it was enough light for the two boys to see a large gaping hole in the wall.

"What's so weird about this?" he asked.

"Look!" T.K. pointed to the hole. "This dirt was freshly dug. It's still moist." He commented, scooping up some in his hand and sifting it with his fingers.

Matt gazed at the hole and moved in closer. He noticed something that appeared to be broken, lying on the ground below the hole. The blonde picked up the shattered pieces of what had broken and brought them over to the light.

"What is it?" T.K. asked curiously.

"It's one of those name plates, like the ones upstairs that tell you who's buried there." The older boy explained as he placed the smooth white pieces together.

"What's it say?" T.K. prodded again.

"Hold on a sec." His brother replied, seemingly agitated by his brother's impatience. "It says…Mircea Tepes."

"Who's that?" T.K. queried.

Matt shot him an annoyed look, "How the hell am I supposed to know?"

"I dunno?" T.K. shrugged, "just thought maybe you'd heard of him."

Matt studied the name, trying to recall if he had ever heard it before.

"Hey Matt." T.K. said shaking his brother's shoulder.

"Yeah, what?" was his reply.

"Look." He said solemnly, pointing to the candle.

"What is it?" Matt asked, giving him a bewildered look.

"T-that candle isn't melting." He stuttered.

"What?" Matt said in disbelief, as the two boys moved in to inspect T.K.'s findings.

Just as the younger boy had said, the candle had not melted. The wax remained perfectly intact, and the wick had not burned down either. A cold gust of wind permeated the small enclosure and both boys trembled involuntarily.

"M-Matt?" T.K. whispered.

"Yeah T.K.?" his brother replied.

"If we're underground, and there are no doors or anything down here…then…where did that gust of wind come from just now?"

Matt brought his gaze up to meet his brother's. They both stared wide-eyed at eachother in silence

Not a word was spoken, no communication was required. They both felt it was time to vacate the premises.

Tai sprinted across the grassy fields of the cemetery. He was determined to find Sora. However, he hadn't realized that he had left his little sister in the dust.

"Tai! Wait up!" she cried, trying her best to keep up with her brother. Tai suddenly slowed to a halt and whipped his head around to see his sister closing ground.

"Sorry Kari." He apologized.

"I know you're trying your best to find her…" she panted as she jogged up beside him, "…but you need to slow down."

"I know," he admitted, his gaze shifting to the ground. "Come on," he urged as he broke into another run.

"I don't think he understood me." she sighed, and picked up her pace. Beyond the stretch of grave markers was a small forest. It was not part of the cemetery, but it was connected to the land that made it up. There were no fences around it, but a few signs forbidding entrance were scattered here and there. Tai completely ignored the signs as he bolted through the underbrush and the trees.

"Tai wait!" his sister admonished, "Don't go in there!" But it was already too late. Kari did the only thing she could think of, and followed her brother into the eerie cluster of trees.

Tai paused here and there, his eyes darting right and left, searching for anything that might lead him to Sora or that evil creature's hideout.

"Tai!" he heard his sister shout. Once again, his mind had gone elsewhere and he wheeled around to find his sister, having forgotten about her in his haste.

"Kari!" he called, cupping his hands over his mouth as he ran.

The brown-haired boy jumped over a fallen tree and shoved past branches that had jutted out into the pathway.

"Kari!" he tried again, before his feet went out from under him. Actually, it was more like the ground went out from under him as he fell down a large black pit and landed hard on the leave-covered ground below.

"Tai!?" Kari screamed, letting her ears guide her to where she had heard her brother last. "Taiiiiii!!" she hollered as she stepped forward and was engulfed by the blackness as well. Her arms flailed in the air as she desperately tried to find something to catch herself on, but to no avail. The entire descent was filled with the sounds of her screaming as her own voice echoed off the cavernous walls. Her horrific fall finally came to an end when she landed on something warm, soft, and…furry.

"Tai?" she asked tentatively, feeling around in the pitch-blackness, as her hand caressed the rims of his goggles. She hopped off of the unmoving boy and stared up in fear at their gloomy surroundings. Wherever they were, it was completely shrouded in darkness, she mentally noted. Kari couldn't even see her hand in front of her face, let alone her own brother.

In the shadows, she heard a sudden movement, and automatically knew it wasn't her or her brother.

"Tai?" she said fearfully, her bottom lip trembling, as she shook her brother to wake him. She could hear the creature moving towards her, and the hairs on the back of her neck bristled.

"I want to go home now." She whimpered.

Closing Note: So, what's the verdict?? Should I continue? Well, I'm going to anyway, but just curious as to how many ppl want me to. ^_^ Like my other fic, I shall apologize in advance for the upcoming chapters. The only time I write now is during the peak hours of the night and mid morning, so if my writing has lost a tad bit of pizzazz, blame it on…uh…*searches for nearest scapegoat* the keyboard, yeah, darn thing! *smacks keyboard* Yeah, I'm pathetic aren't I? But at least I'm not arguing with myself anymore. *smiles*


	5. The Twilight Hour

Izzy leisurely scanned the rows of names engraved on one wall of the mausoleum, as Mr

Author's Note: Yay! Lookee, I finally updated this story! My mind's been going into overdrive with this, since it is the month of Halloween and all. Hehe. Anywho, R+R, mmkay?

Rating: R, the whole fic is R.

Disclaimer: *waves hands in air and shouts loudly* No own Digimon!! lol. *sorry just thinking about what some ppl do when they are trying to communicate w/ someone who doesn't speak their language. I'm assuming the owners of Digimon speak Japanese. Needless to say, no matter how loud you shout or flail your arms, ppl will not understand you any better. They speak a diff. language, they're not deaf! lol. Okay, now that that's off my chest, on to the fic…

Izzy leisurely scanned the rows of names engraved on one wall of the mausoleum, as Mr. Ishida inspected the other side. The red-haired boy noticed a door located in the far corner of the complex and curiously made his way towards it.

"What have you got there Izzy?" Malcolm asked, craning his head around to view the boy.

"Let's see what's behind this door." Izzy suggested, pulling open the large door.

The two crept inside, for some reason, expecting something to jump out at them. In the center of the room were four caskets made of some kind of stone or marble.

"You think…?" Malcolm asked as Izzy shrugged.

"I guess we'll find out soon," he said strolling over to one of the sarcophagi, "Help me with this." he instructed the older man.

Malcolm and Izzy tried relentlessly to remove the lid from the coffin, but it seemed utterly impossible. It was just far too heavy.

"Maybe too heavy for mortals?" Izzy hypothesized.

"But not for a vampire?" Malcolm proffered.

"Possibly." He said scratching his chin, "On the other hand, these tombs look like they have been undisturbed for quite some time."

Malcolm reached into his shirt pocket for a cigarette. In the last few minutes he had become rather nervous. Izzy cleared his throat, as if to politely request that he not smoke. Malcolm understood the subtle suggestion and placed the cigarette back into his pocket.

"Well, now what?" he asked, folding his arms.

"We could go help the others search the rest of the graveyard." Izzy stated. "I doubt we'll find much today. After all, this isn't the only place the vampire could be. Please excuse my pessimism." He apologized.

"No Izzy, I figured as much. I just hope Tai won't be too disappointed that we didn't find anything. That boy doesn't look good." Malcolm observed.

"I know. I've never seen him like this. He must really be upset about losing Sora. I mean I'm pretty distressed by it myself, but Tai…he looks heartbroken." Izzy commented.

"How else should he feel?" Malcolm added rhetorically. Izzy only nodded.

Kari shifted uncomfortably in her present position.

"W-who's there?" she asked timidly. Unseen goose bumps began to spread up and down her arms.

Tai slowly began to wake. His eyes groggily opened to see nothing but darkness all around.

"K-Kari?" he asked, his hands searching the ground for her.

"I'm right here Tai." She replied. "But…we aren't alone." She said in a hushed whisper.

"What happened? Where are we? What do you mean not alone?" a dozen questions escaped his lips before his sister placed her hand over his mouth.

"Shhhhh…" she whispered, her eyes, which had now adjusted to the dark, scanned the small room. "Where is it?" she asked, her brow furrowing in confusion.

The creature stood in front of Kari, close enough for it's nose to touch hers, but she was unable to see it. It smiled at her and leapt back with lightning speed. Kari felt a rush of cold air on her skin and quickly rubbed her bare shoulders and arms.

Tai maneuvered into a sitting position and massaged the tender spot on his elbow where he had fallen.

"What's wrong Kari?" he whispered.

Before she had a chance to answer, the entire room lit up with a brilliant radiance, blinding the two teenagers. Both siblings shielded their eyes from the brightness until it slowly died down, revealing hundreds of candles scattered about the room.

"How did they all light up at once?" Tai asked in complete shock.

"I don't know." Kari answered.

Suddenly, the dark creature inhabiting the room swooped down in front of the two. Tai grabbed his sister and held her protectively.

"Who are you!?" he demanded.

The figure merely smiled at the two horrified children. His hair was jet-black and pulled back in a tight ponytail. A black cape with purple inner lining trailed behind him as he approached Tai and his sister.

"You have no reason to fear…right now." He coolly stated. Tai studied the man up and down, taking note on his long, sharp pristine fingernails, pale complexion, and violet eyes. Everything about this guy seemed unnatural.

"What are you staring at boy?" he snapped. Kari jerked back in her brother's arms.

"I apologize madam." The creature said and bowed before them.

Tai repeated his question. "Who are you?"

"I, sir?" he said, placing his hand over his chest, "I am Radu."

"That doesn't explain a lot." Tai retorted.

"That is all you need know of me for now." He hissed.

"What were you saying earlier?" Kari interjected, "What was that about what we had to fear?" she queried.

"Oh yes…" he nodded, "Forgive me for not elaborating."

Kari glanced up at her brother, worry written in her expression.

"Don't worry." Tai whispered, "If he was going to kill us, he'd have done it by now…wouldn't he?"

This did not make Kari feel any better.

"The Twilight Hour." Radu stated.

"Huh?" Tai grunted, his attention returning to the tall, dark figure.

"Listen well." Radu advised. "You do not want to be here during the Twilight Hour."

"What's the Twilight Hour?" Kari asked tentatively.

"It is the hour of awakening." He answered.

Tai finally mustered up the courage to stand, in the process helping his sister to her feet as well.

"Hour of awakening?" Tai questioned with a puzzled look.

"It is an unknown fact, but vampires do possess certain abilities which enable them to control time and space for a brief instance. The reason this is not known is because they are only able to do it for seconds or minutes at a time. However…" he paused.

"Are you gonna tell us that one of these vamps figured out how to manipulate time and space for a longer period of time?" Tai stated sarcastically.

"As a matter of fact, yes." Radu replied. "There are many things about vampires that mortals still do not know." He chuckled sinisterly.

"Such as?" Kari inquired.

"Oh, I'm not telling you two anything. But I suggest you hurry, for the Twilight Hour is nearly upon us."

"Hurry? But why?" she continued.

"If you wish to stay around and see, be my guest." He laughed, "But don't say I did not bid you warning."

With that final statement, Radu disappeared in a flash of light. Tai and Kari both stood stunned, unable to believe their eyes.

"Creepy." Kari muttered.

"I wonder what he meant by the Twilight Hour?" Tai pondered out loud.

"Me too. Do you think he was a vampire?" she responded. Tai only shook his head.

"I don't know, but I'm betting he was." The boy finally commented.

"We should get outta here," she said, gazing around the cave-like surroundings.

Tai searched around the candle-lit room then pointed off in the distance. "I think I see a light up ahead, like from an opening or something."

"That's better than nothing. Let's go." Kari said, pulling her brother along by his shirtsleeve.

When the two had made it to the entrance to the small cave, they immediately surveyed the area. Tai pointed out a little hill and suggested they climb it and get their bearings.

"Well, this is that forest, so the cemetery should be over there." Kari announced extending her index finger in the direction she figured to be the cemetery's location. Tai whipped out his miniature telescope and began to check the perimeter.

Tai scanned the trees surrounding them. "Whatever you say. This looks sorta familiar." He said scratching his head, unable to really see much.

The two children started to tread forward, when a change in the atmosphere caught their attention.

"It's so cold." Kari shivered, looking up at the sky that had mysteriously turned a dark grayish-purple hue.

"I don't like the looks of this." Tai added, "I think we're about to find out what the Twilight Hour is." he said, swallowing hard. "Let's get going and find the others." 

Kari followed him down the hill towards the graveyard. Cautiously glancing over her shoulder every few seconds. She didn't know why, but she could have sworn someone was following them; she could feel their presence.

Tai was a couple of steps ahead of his sister. "It's not far now Kari. Look, the graveyard's just over this ridge." He pointed out.

A flash of lighting lit up the dark sky and both children jumped. Seconds after an ominous thunderclap rolled in the distance.

"K-Keep going." Tai urged his frightened sister.

As they walked on, the sky grew darker. Tai glanced down at his watch. "This is odd." He commented. "It's only noon. How can it already be this dark?" he questioned.

Another flash of lightning sent them running when it struck mere inches from where they stood.

"I don't think I like this Twilight Hour!!" Kari yelled as she followed Tai in between rows of grave markers.She let out a loud yelp when something caused her to fall over. She winced in pain and clutched at her knee. Tai skidded to a stop and whirled around to help his sister up, but his eyes widened in horror at what he saw.A rotting, dead hand had shot up from the ground and seized Kari's foot.

"Help me Tai! It's got me!!" she cried, digging her fingernails into the decayed flesh of the green hand, desperately trying to free her foot.

Tai ran back towards her and grabbed onto the dead hand and yanked it from Kari's sneaker. He succeeded in freeing Kari, but the hand popped out of the ground, sending him reeling backwards and onto his rear.

Tai sat motionless holding the rotting hand, as it continued to move.

"Ugh!!" he screamed in disgust and threw it off to the side, quickly leaping back up to his feet. "Come on Kari!!" he hollered at his sister, as more hands began to sprout up from the ground around them like daisies.

Koushiro and Malcolm had just completed their inspection of the mausoleum, when the two glanced out the window of the small structure.

"Am I seeing things, or did the sky just suddenly turn gray?" Izzy asked, rubbing his eyes.

"If you are, than I'm suffering from the same affliction." Mr. Ishida replied.

"What's going on here?" Izzy asked quizzically.

"Natural phenomena?" Mr. Ishida suggested, hoping it was.

A chilly draft blew through the mausoleum, making both of them shiver. Izzy rubbed his arms and made his way closer to the window.

"Let's get out of here and find the others. We're going home now." Mr. Ishida firmly stated as he headed for the door. Izzy started to follow him, when they both heard a loud crash coming from the other room. It was more like a thud, as the stone coffin covers crumbled into large chunks upon hitting the ground. Malcolm and Izzy rushed back over to the doorway to inspect the recent commotion.

The redhead stared in horror at the sight before them. The corpses occupying the coffins had somehow been reincarnated and were now rising up from their resting places.

"This doesn't look good." Izzy commented, as he and Mr. Ishida slowly backed up towards the front door.

"Would you mind trying to explain this!?" Malcolm shrieked, as the corpses stepped out of the caskets and began to approach the two.

"Uh…zombies?" Izzy suggested.

"That's just great, vampires and now this!" Malcolm said as he reached for the door. "It's locked!!" he cried in disbelief.

"What!?!?" Izzy exclaimed. "This is no time to be joking Mr. Ishida!" 

"I'm not joking!! It's really locked!" he frantically yelled.

"What do we do now!?!" Izzy asked fearfully as one of the walking corpses came nearer to him. He couldn't tell whether it was male or female. A few wispy strands of blonde hair adorned the decayed head of the deceased creature. A slimy green substance oozed from it's eye sockets, and what was left of it's face, which seemed to be primarily the outline of a skull. Izzy shuddered as he edged further backward.

The creature that had been approaching Mr. Ishida, opened its mouth, revealing a hoard of maggots that dropped to the floor, making a sickening squishy sound as they did. Malcolm's stomach wrenched at the sight and he held his hand over his mouth.

A bony, blood drenched hand reached out to Izzy, who flinched at its presence. He used his laptop to shield himself from the wretched figure in front of him. Malcolm eyed the laptop thoughtfully, and then ripped it from Izzy's hands.

"Hey!" Izzy complained, "Find your own shield!"

"Try to get the door open!" was Malcolm's only comment, before he swung the computer back and belted one of the un-dead across the face with it, causing the creature's head to fly off and clatter to the floor.

"Ewww!!" Izzy cringed, and rushed over to the locked door. He desperately tugged on it, but to no avail. It wouldn't budge. Izzy had now become aware of the pounding he heard all about the room, realizing in great terror, that it was coming from the other corpses trying to escape the confines of the walls.

"We need to break one of those windows!" Malcolm shouted as he waved the laptop around, trying to ward off the other zombie.

Izzy's eyes darted around the room in search of something he could use to smash through the glass. His gaze fell to the floor, where the skull of one of the un-dead lay, hissing and shrieking something terrible. He wondered how it could make any noise without vocal chords, but then again, how could it even be alive?Izzy shrugged and raced over to the skull, carefully picking it up, so as to avoid its chomping teeth and launched it through one of the nearest windows.

Shards of glass fell to the floor, and Izzy watched as Malcolm used all his weight to shove the final creature to the ground. Afterwards, he ushered Izzy to the window and helped him out of it, steering clear of the sharp broken glass that bordered its frame. He then tossed the battered laptop to the redheaded teenager, and he himself dove out of the window and onto the soft grass below.

"Go!" Mr. Ishida hollered at Izzy, as he scrambled up to follow the terrified teen, as a thick white mist began to cover the cemetery grounds.

A loud clap of thunder sent T.K. reeling back into his brother. 

"Settle down there squirt." Matt said, steadying the younger boy.

"S-Sorry Matt. It's just this place…it's so eerie." He commented. "And how come it's raining all of sudden? Wasn't it nice and sunny earlier?"

"That's a good question. I'll have to put that on the list, along with the one about that spooky candle and that gust of wind." Matt retorted, as they made their way to the door.

Both brothers stopped in their tracks, when the room suddenly got darker.

"What's going on?" Matt asked tentatively, his eyes darting from one wall to the next.

T.K. ran to the window and gasped in amazement. "Matt, those vines!" he yelled in fright.

"Impossible!" Matt interjected; as he and his brother watched the foliage that had adorned the entire building, swiftly engulf the windows and front door.

T.K. rushed over to the entrance and started to push on the door, but the outside was so completely covered in vines, that it wouldn't budge.

"We're trapped!!" he cried.

Matt looked on in fear, "No! There has to be a way out of here!" he screamed, trying to calm his brother down, only succeeding in panicking the two even further.

Out of the darkness, a tall, foreboding creature loomed before them. "You dare disturb my slumber?!" it hissed.

T.K.'s eyes glazed over in apprehension, and his skin began to pale. Matt stepped in front of his brother, as if to protect him somehow.

"W-who are you?" he asked intrepidly.

"I am Mircea Tepes, you insolent cur!"

Matt glanced back at T.K., and the two stared at each other, unable to breath or move.

The dark creature began to sniff the air, and his eyes narrowed. Matt bit his lower lip, as the figure stared at him hungrily, eyeing the stitches on his neck.

"I see someone forgot to finish what they started." He chuckled, slowly closing the gap between him and the two boys. He started to lunge at the teenagers, but they both split up in opposite directions, evading his grasp. Mircea gave them an annoyed look, and then proceeded to go after the one closest to him, which happened to be T.K.

In one swooping motion, he pinned the younger boy up against the wall. Using all his weight, Matt slammed into the dark creature, knocking him to the floor. Both landed in a heap near the front entryway. Despite the ringing in his head, the older boy started to scramble to his feet, but Mircea was too quick for him, having preternatural reflexes.A cold, white hand shot out and held Matt up by the throat. Matt dug his fingernails into the cold flesh and gasped for air, as Mircea opened his mouth to reveal a sharp pair of fangs, dripping with saliva. 

T.K. looked on in horror as his brother dangled helplessly in the fiend's clutches. His mind went into over drive debating on what course of action to pursue, when he remembered the crucifix in his pocket. The young boy pulled it out and rushed over to his brother's side, thrusting the small object out in front of the vampire's face.Mircea instantly released Matt and drew back from the religious icon. The older boy dropped to the floor, sputtering and choking, as he tried to replenish his depleted oxygen.

"Are you okay Matt?" T.K. asked with concern, glancing at him from the corner of his eye, while waving the cross at Mircea menacingly.

"I'll be okay." He managed to choke out, as he leaned up against the door for leverage. The younger boy started to notice that with the vampire being held at bay by the cross, the vines surrounding the outside of the complex seemed to wither away.

"Cool!" he exclaimed, "This thing is kind of like Kryptonite." 

Matt scratched his head, trying to figure out what his brother was referring to, when he noticed the vines disappearing as well. As T.K. repelled the vampire, Matt pushed open the door. Grabbing the back of T.K.'s shirt, he slowly led him out of the building.

Once outside, T.K. quickly turned his head to glance at his brother, as well as their surroundings. His brow furrowed at the darkened sky and the white mist blanketing the ground. When he averted his gaze back to the doorway, he discovered the vampire had vanished.

"Where'd he go?" Matt asked, cautiously scanning around them.

"I don't know." T.K. replied, "And I don't care, so long as we get outta here!" he added.

"I'm with you!" Matt agreed, as small chunks of ice began to pelt them from above.

T.K. took one last glimpse into the crypt before the two ran off at top speed in the direction of the car. Matt couldn't see the ground, or his feet for that matter, and prayed he was heading the right way.A dense fog had eerily rolled in as the two pounded up the hill, making visibility almost impossible.

The only incentive they had was to make it back to safety, away from that vampire, and out from the bombardment of hail that stung them as they ran.

Every now and then Matt would jerk his head around to make sure T.K. was still behind him. Neglecting to pay attention to the view in front of him proved disastrous when he collided with something, or actually someone.

"Aauugghh!!" Tai screamed as he plowed into Matt, sending them both sprawling to the ground. Matt sat up and shook his head, intently staring into the mist to see who he had ran into.

"Tai?" Matt asked warily; as T.K. stooped down to help him up.

"Matt? T.K. is that you?" came the familiar feminine voice of Kari.

"It's us!" T.K. smiled in relief.

Matt brushed himself off and peered into the thickness, trying to find the two.

"I can't see you guys." He said, waving his hand out in front of him, until he made contact with something.

"Ow!! Quit it Matt! We're right here!" Tai complained, grabbing the blonde by the wrist. "Come on!" he said as he pulled the boy along. T.K. placed his hand on Matt's shoulder, so he wouldn't lose him in the fog, and the four trooped down towards the front gate.

"Something weird is going on." T.K. mentioned, as they tramped along blindly.

"No time to explain that now." Tai replied, "We have to find Izzy and you guys' dad and get the hell outta here!"

"What do you mean no time to explain?" Matt asked, stumbling along, as Tai picked up his pace. The older blonde yanked his wrist from Tai's grasp.

"We know why this is happening." Kari elucidated. "It's called the Twilight Hour."

"Why what's happening?" T.K. wondered out loud, "You mean the strange occurrences?"

"Yeah." Tai added, "The mysterious weather, the fog, the hands sprouting up out of the ground…" he rambled.

"Hands sprouting up out of the ground!?!" the two brothers said simultaneously, but their questions would go unanswered for the moment, as Tai, there so-called leader, refused to relinquish any more information to them until they had found Izzy and Mr. Ishida.

As quickly as the hailstorm came, it disappeared, leaving a violent downpour of rain in its wake. The four children began to run faster, sloshing through mud and fierce gusts of wind that whipped at their water-soaked hair. They ran until they could make out the front gate of the cemetery, where to both their surprise and relief Izzy and Mr. Ishida stood waiting, looking a little worse for the wear themselves.

"Are you all okay?" Mr. Ishida asked with general concern in his wavering voice, as the children huddled around him. He silently made a head count to himself, making sure everyone was present that should be.

"W-We'll be f-fine, as s-soon as we get into the car." Tai said with chattering teeth. The other children had been in much the same predicament. Mr. Ishida craned his head from one shivering child to the next. T.K.'s head drew back and he cupped his hands in preparation to sneeze.

"Bless you." Kari said, as T.K. sniffled a bit and thanked her.

Izzy pushed the large, creaking front gate open as everyone hurriedly filed out, wanting to escape the awful place as fast as they could.

"You guys…" Kari muttered, pointing towards the cemetery with a dazed look on her face.

The six faces gawked in amazement at the sight before them.Inside the cemetery was a torrent of rain, thunder, lightning, and fog. But outside the gates of the mysterious graveyard, everything was as it had been when they had arrived, bright and sunny without a cloud in the sky.

"I think it's safe to conclude one thing." Izzy stated, pulling his laptop out from underneath his drenched shirt, "We know where our vampire is."

What ya think? Spooky? I'm having fun with this story. Hehe. =)


	6. Vlad's Origin Revealed

The auburn haired girl sighed and shook her head

A/N: To all the Izzy fans out there, well fair warning on this chapter, and that's all I'm gonna say, but no worries, it'll all turn out good in the end. Lol. Um, I'm hoping to have this story completed before Halloween, but it doesn't look like that's gonna happen, so please be patient with my updates.

Rating: R

And I already placed a disclaimer on this story, so I see no need for one on each chapter. Well enjoy!

The auburn haired girl sighed and shook her head. She seated herself on the floor in the candle-lit hallway and brought her knees up to her chest.

"I'm never gonna get out of here!" she said frustrated. With her arms encircling her knees, she rested her head on them. Sora had no idea what time of day it was, only that she had been searching for an exit for what appeared to be hours. Everything about her current location made her sick to her stomach. It smelled of blood and rotting flesh, and she had been subjected to the poor lighting so long, it began to make her eyes hurt. Sora squeezed her brown eyes shut and began to rub her temples. There had to be some way out of there. After all, how did she get there in the first place?

Preternatural eyes surveyed the hallway, eyeing their prey with the utmost scrutiny. The creature decided that it was the perfect opportunity to present itself. From out of the shadows, it emerged in front of the young girl, startling her.

Sora gasped in surprise and scrambled to her feet. "Who are you?" she asked timidly. The being merely stood in front of her with his cape drawn up around his face. His violet eyes of unfathomable brilliance were the only things he permitted to be shown. The teenager was somewhat hypnotized by his gaze, and she stood for a few moments in silence, before she broke her stare away from his.

"There is something different about you." He hissed, his eyes narrowing as Sora pressed herself up against the wall in fear. "Yes," he nodded, "You and those other children." The creature eyed her suspiciously before snaking his hand out and clutching the crest Sora wore around her neck.

"What sorcery is this?" the vampire snapped as he studied the foreign object.

"Hey!" Sora yelped, astonished by the speed in which he executed his move, but also in defiance. She didn't want him laying an undead finger on her crest.

"That's none of your business!" she said, yanking it from his grasp.

"My dear…" he coolly replied, seizing her by the throat, "I am a man of patience, but you WILL tell me what you bear around your neck!"

Her eyes welled up with tears, fearing he would break her neck in his tight grasp. The vampire watched as the tears trickled down her face. Upon noticing her lips turning a faint blue he released his hold.

"That's my crest." She finally replied, her eyes to the floor in defeat.

"A crest?" he repeated, "And what does this crest stand for?"

"Love." She stated, her voice echoing down the long vacant corridor.

The vampire pondered this revelation for a moment before introducing himself.

"Now that you have answered my question, I shall answer yours." He began, "I am Vlad Tepes, former Prince of Wallachia."

Sora's eyes scanned the ground in deep thought. She knew that name, but from where? Her eyes roved the carpeted floor for another instant before it dawned on her.

"You're Vlad the Impaler?" she choked out. The vampire nodded, seemingly satisfied.

"Ah, so you have heard of me. Excellent." He replied.

"Y-You're Dracula?" she stammered.

"It is what some wish to call me. Yes, I have gone by the name Dracul, son of the devil." He smiled fiendishly, as if something about his reputation gave him much pleasure.

"But…how?" Sora wondered out loud. "The history books say you died in the 1500's. You were beheaded!" she urged, as if trying to make him believe it.

"Tis true, I did die in the 1500's. The one thing your history book neglected to mention was that I was resurrected."

Sora's face held an expression of both shock and disbelief.

"I see you are skeptical." He commented. "Come with me Love, I shall explain."

Sora slowly began to follow him; it wasn't as though she had a choice in the matter. He led her into one of the rooms down the never-ending corridor. It was a parlor of some sort, as far as she could tell.

"Have a seat." He instructed her. The girl cautiously sat in a large armchair, watching the vampire for any sudden unexpected movement.

"Don't worry, if I was going to kill you, I would have done so by now." He smirked, fangs glinting in the firelight.

"What do you want with me?" she uttered.

"I sense an extraordinary power within you, and I am determined to find out what that power is."

Sora bit her lower lip apprehensively. She knew the only power he could be referring to was the power of her crest, that was bestowed upon her ever since she had become a digidestined.

"Now." He announced, "You wished to know more about me? It has been years, perhaps decades since I last spoke to a mortal. I shall enlighten you keeper of Love."

Vlad made himself comfortable in the chair he had chosen. With a flick of his wrist the candles lighting the room began to burn brighter. Sora watched with a hint of fascination.

"My family was involved with a group of knights, you may know that the time period in which I was born into was the age of Chivalry. Actually, it was towards the end of that era.Anyhow, the association was known as the Order of the Dragon. Among other knightly things, they studied necromancy, which was forbidden in those days, and punishable by death."

Sora flinched at the way he enunciated the word "death."

"The Order was extremely faithful to the Tepes family, especially my father. When he died, they swore their allegiance to my brothers and I." Vlad paused and cocked his head towards the ceiling, almost as though he were lost in thought.

"Under my rule, they had managed to master many fields in the art of black magic. When the day had come; the day they knew I would be captured, I made them all take an oath."

"And what was that?" Sora inquired.

"I told them, that if I were to die I request that they exhume my body and resurrect me through the black arts."

"So that's it then? They just said a few magic words and poof, you were alive again?"

"It is not that simple my dear." Vlad sneered, "In order to reincarnate me, they had to do more than just say a few magic words. I was dead. The only way I could come back was to take on the form of another being. Before I died, I was given many options, that of a wolf for instance, or a hawk. Any animal imaginable was at my disposal."

"So why didn't you just come back as an animal?" Sora asked, shifting in her chair.

"An animal is not immortal. I wanted infinite life. My last option was to bargain with Lucifer himself. My immortal soul for an immortal body."

"And that's what you did?" Sora's brow furrowed. "But…why? Why give up your soul?"

"My soul was a petty trifle. I had no use for it."

"But it's your soul! It's the one thing that makes you…you." She replied with a passion. Vlad noted how her eyes sparkled in the candlelight.

"I see this is something you feel strongly about." He said, raising an eyebrow. "Then this next part will be difficult."

"W-What do you mean?" Sora asked, a foreboding feeling began to wash over her.

"I had hoped that my little story would have persuaded you, but I see now that it will take force." He retorted.

"Persuaded me? To do what?" she asked meekly.

"Why, to become one of us. A creature of the night." He hissed, slowly approaching her.

Sora knew she had to think quickly. "May I have some time to think this over?" she queried.

The vampire stepped back. "I suppose…the years have made me a little soft. When I was a mortal I wouldn't have even asked. I would prefer you came to my side of your own will…but need I remind you, no matter what your decision, I shall have you." He said, exiting the room. He casually flicked his wrist at her, as to say take your time and disappeared into the darkness once again.

"I shall return in a few hours." His voice echoed through the hall.

Sora stood up from her seat and instantaneously dropped to her knees sobbing.

"What am I going to do?" she moaned, burying her face in her hands. "I have to get out of here!"

No sooner had Vlad left the ambivalent Sora, then his brother confronted him outside under the night sky with some rather disturbing news.

"Vladimir." He addressed him, "They have discovered us!"

Vlad angrily grabbed Mircea by his shoulders and squeezed them hard in a rage.

"Come now brother," he chuckled, "That will do you no good, have you forgotten that I too am a vampire?"

"I know that you fool! I know everything! It was I after all, who created the fog and that hail storm to ward them off!"

"Bravo brother." Mircea mocked, as he lightly clapped his hands. "I noticed, however, that your attention to detail has been slipping."

"What is that supposed to mean, you repugnant vexation!?"

"I'm referring to the blonde…" Mircea smirked. 

"That!" Vlad hissed, "was an accident, that shall not recur!" he spat heatedly.

"And what are we to do about these nuisances?" a third voice rang in the shadows.

"Radu." Vlad glared, "I'll have no hindering remarks from you."

"I have seen the leader." He replied.

"Leader?" Vlad questioned.

"The brown haired boy and his sister. Surely he is the leader, can you not sense it?" Radu smiled smugly and folded his arms.

"Of course I sense that! I am your master! I surpass you in everything!!" Vlad roared.

"Calm yourself brother dear." Mircea said, his voice dripping in sarcasm.

"The leader is not our problem at the moment…I will take care of this matter tonight." He announced.

"If the leader is of no concern, then who is?" Mircea asked.

"The redheaded one. He knows too much." Vlad replied and stormed off into the night sky.

Mircea and Radu watched in amusement, as their brother flew off en route to deal with their latest dilemma.

"His eyes turn a lovely shade of red when he's flustered." Mircea remarked.

"You think?" Radu replied, as an eruption of sinister laughter emerged from the two.

Izzy sat at his laptop typing feverishly. He had just gotten off the phone with a very distraught Taichi, and was determined now more than ever to find all the information he could on vampires and how to destroy them. He had reminded his fellow digidestined to guard themselves against any future vampire attacks, for he was sure that eventually the vampire would try to finish what he had started. Izzy currently had his room adorned with bulbs of garlic; he had a wooden stake in his top right hand drawer and tied a crucifix around his neck.

A knock at the door made the redheaded boy jump from his seat.

"Izzy honey," his mother spoke softly, immediately her face twisted in disgust. "What is that putrid smell?"

"Uh, science project mom." Izzy replied nervously, minimizing the current open window on his computer screen.

"With garlic?" she said, a puzzled expression replaced the look of repulsion.

"Yeah," Izzy nodded nonchalantly.

"Okay," she shrugged, "Well, I just wanted to say good night. And don't stay up too late. I know your friend being kidnapped is rather upsetting to you, but please try and get some rest."

"I will mom." Izzy nodded, as she entered the room and walked over to give her son a kiss on the forehead.

"Good night." She smiled, and left the room.

As soon as his mother had left, Izzy brought the window back up to full view. He carefully skimmed the information on the page as he scrolled down. One name in particular brought him to an immediate halt.

"Mircea Tepes." He said to himself, "…Matt and T.K….they mentioned something about a Mircea Tepes." Izzy's eyes scanned the passage for more information.

"This is it!" he proclaimed, "This is what we're looking for!" No sooner had he said that, then he was copying the page's address and emailing it to Tai. 

'Check this out,' he wrote, 'I believe this is the information we have been searching for. Tell the others.Sincerely, Izzy.'

"Done," he sighed, as he clicked the send button.

"That's right." A strange voice hissed behind him.

"Wha-?" Izzy whirled around in his swivel chair; shocked to come face to face with the vampire Vlad.

"How did you get in here? You have to be invited." Izzy stated.

"Through the front door of course, and don't believe everything you read kid." Vlad sneered, "There are many wives tales about us vampires, and that is all the majority of them are, tales."

"So the garlic?" Izzy began.

"Hollywood make-believe." Vlad scoffed. He glared at Izzy's laptop, "You will no longer be needing this!" he said, as he drove his fist into the screen. Izzy ducked out of the way of Vlad's menacing punch and ran for the door.

The vampire turned around and grabbed Izzy by his shirt collar, hauling him backwards. The young boy fell to the floor and he gazed up at the creature in fear.

"Uh uh." Vlad said, wagging his finger at the redhead mockingly.

Izzy quickly rose to his feet and stared about his room, desperately seeking a means of escaping.

"There is no escape this time boy." The vampire growled, "And you will no longer burden me with your constant prying."

"My what?" Izzy asked.

"You were the one who discovered my secret location. You brought the others there!" 

"But I…" Izzy started, "I was only going by what I found on the Internet."

"Yes, and you shall not interfere anymore with your findings!" he said lunging at the teen. Izzy moved to get away, but the vampire was too fast for him, and he found himself pinned against the wall.

"I already know about you and your brothers!" Izzy choked, as Vlad constricted his grip on the boy's neck. "And I've already notified my friends."

"No matter, they cannot defeat me. Now I shall eliminate you." Vlad announced, as he sank his teeth into the flesh of Izzy's neck. The redhead tensed up in pain, as he felt his life's blood being drained from him.

Vlad feasted with large voracious gulps as the color in Izzy's face began to go pallid. He moved in closer as the warm sensation the blood brought drew him in.An intense heat forced the vampire to leap back in alarm when something burned the inside of his palm.

Blood dripped from his fangs, and he swiped at it with the back of his hand. Vlad stared at the figure of Izzy as his lifeless form crumpled to the floor. His vampiric eyes gaped incredulously at the scar that remained in his palm.

"What is this!?" he shrieked, his eyes flooding with the color of crimson. He stalked back over to the boy, who was still lightly breathing. Vlad gazed down at the boy's chest, where a small crucifix rested. "It can't be." He murmured. He closed his injured hand painfully and let out an ear-piercing roar. Glaring back down at the inert teen he noticed that the rise and fall of his chest had ceased.

"It is finished." He stated. Eyeing Izzy's bedroom window he broke through the glass. It shattered everywhere, just as Izzy's mother and father burst into the room.

"Oh my God!!" his mother screamed in horror. "Call an ambulance NOW!!" she cried to her husband, as she cradled her lifeless son's head in her arms.

Oh I'm so cruel! I love cliffhangers, don't you? Well…I love writing them anyway. Hehehe. R+R please! ^_^


	7. The Attack

Author's Note:  I'm so terribly sorry I've been neglecting this story forever! I hate to leave ppl waiting, but a lot of my time as of late has been devoted to my other fic Vengeance, not to mention hours upon hours of work. *rolls eyes* But anywho, at least I've been able to jam out another chapter. Hope ya like! ^_^

The room was presently engulfed by darkness, save for the blue glow of a computer monitor. A brown-haired boy lay asleep at a desk, his hand resting on a few keys, as if he had fallen asleep in the middle of performing a task. His upper body was bathed in the iridescent light emanating from the computer. All was quiet, for the time being.

Tai slowly began to stir when a picture of a mailbox flashed on his screen, and a computerized voice alerted him that he had received mail.

"Huh?" he muttered, his eyes red and partially swollen, evidence that he had been crying. They slowly fluttered open and hazily gawked at the screen in front of him. Tai brought his right hand up, which had been hanging loosely to the floor, and placed it over the mouse. He double-clicked the mailbox icon and watched as another window began to load up.

"From Izzy?" he mumbled, and began to scroll down the contents of the email. His eyes soon began to open wider at what he read. Tai glanced down at his watch. It was close to ten. He leaned back in his chair and reached for his phone, which was on a nearby dresser. His eyes scanned the rows of numbers, as he absently dialed.

"Hello?" he greeted, as the phone was picked up.

"H-Hello." Replied a shaky voice.

"Is Izzy there?" he inquired.

"Tai?" the voice asked.

"Yes Mr. Izumi, it's me." he quietly yawned.

"I'm sorry Tai," the voice came more rapidly. "I'm in a hurry, the ambulance just left for the hospital with Izzy. His mother went with him. I have to meet them down there…I…" he paused.

"What!?" Tai interjected, "What happened? Mr. Izumi!?" Tai waited fearfully for the older man's reply.

"Something attacked him." He said after a long lapse of silence.

"What attacked him? Is he alright?" Tai demanded, but somehow in the back of his mind he knew what had happened.

"I…I don't know." Mr. Izumi all but sobbed. "I have to go Tai, I have to be there. I'll keep you updated." He said and hung up before Tai could get another word in.

Tai stared at the phone in disbelief. "Dammit! Dammit!!" he cried, clenching his fists. He was about to throw the phone in frustration, but quickly dialed another number instead.

"Tai? What's up?" came the muffled reply from Matt as he waved for his dad to go back to bed. Mr. Ishida stood in his bedroom doorway for a few seconds before turning on his heel and going back into the room.

"What!? Are you sure?" he exclaimed running a shaky hand through his blonde hair.

"I'm serious man! The vampire got him!" Tai yelled into the phone. "I'm tired of this! I want Sora back!" he screamed hysterically.

"Calm down Tai, going berserk isn't going to help Izzy or get Sora back. We need a plan." Matt explained.

"I have a plan." Tai announced. "I'm going there right now! I'm going to get Sora back and kill that bastard!"

"Whoa, wait a minute Tai, I don't think that would be wise."

"I don't care! All I know is I'm sick of my friends being hurt by this son-of-a-bitch!" 

Matt took in a deep breath, trying to mentally rationalize the situation. "Look Tai, you're mad, you're upset…just…" he paused, not knowing or unsure of what to say.

"No you look!" Tai spat back, startling the blonde on the other end. "Izzy sent me this information! This is how we kill him! If…if something happens to him tonight, I don't want his research to have been done in vain…" Tai became silent on the other end.

Matt's blue eyes scanned the ground, searching for appropriate words, but falling short of any.

"All I'm saying," Tai broke the silence, this time his voice sounding more reasonable than hysterical, "is that we've never gotten anywhere by just sitting around and waiting for the bad guy to come to us. We always faced them head on."

"I understand Tai." Matt replied.

"Y-You do?" Tai stuttered, somewhat surprised. Matt never readily agreed with him, at least not that fast before.

"Yeah. This is important. So, what did you have in mind?" Matt asked whole-heartedly.

"Well…" Tai hesitated, coming to the conclusion that rushing in, as Matt had previously advised, wouldn't be the best option, "tomorrow morning, we're going back to the cemetery. I think I know where that vampire is hiding, but I think he's got help. Izzy sent me this thing saying he had two brothers. I know Kari and I met one of them that day."

"Yeah, and T.K. and I, I think we met the other." The blonde replied, as if to finish his friend's thought. 

"Well, the place where we met him, it was in this system of underground caves." Tai continued.

"You think they're hiding down there?" Matt queried, shifting the phone from one hand to the other.

"Where else? We didn't find any other place they could be." Tai explained.

"Alright then, tomorrow morning it is. I'll call T.K." Matt answered.

"Um…just one more thing…"he mumbled. Matt had to hold the phone closer just to make out his last statement. "…can you be ready in fifteen minutes?" Tai asked, his voice lowering considerably, almost into a soft whisper.

"Sure, but what for?" Matt responded, scratching the back of his head.

"I'm going to have my dad take me down to the hospital to see Izzy, we'll pick you and T.K. up on the way. I'm going to call the other kids, to let them know."

"Okay Tai, see you in a few." Matt said, as he hung up the phone. He stood in the hallway for a few minutes, clutching the crest he wore around his neck. He opened his palm and stared down at it, remembering why he had acquired it Matt tucked it back into his shirt and went to his room to grab some pants and socks.

The automatic sliding doors of the hospital opened with a shushing sound, as five sets of shoes entered and treaded down the hall towards the lobby.

Mr. Kamiya strode up to the front desk, where a young nurse sat, nearly falling asleep at her post.

"Excuse me," he said, lightly rapping on the desk to draw her attention.

"Oh!" she replied, rather startled and began to compose herself. "May I help you?"

"Yes, we're looking for Koushiro Izumi's room." He replied, glancing back at the four anxious faces.

"Koushiro, Koushiro…Kou…here it is!" she exclaimed, as her eyes scrolled down the list of new patients, finally stopping at the name Izumi. "He's in the ICU sir, I'm sorry, but you are not permitted to see him unless you are a member of his immediate family."

Mr. Kamiya's facial expression drooped in unison with the four teenagers standing behind him.

"Can we see his parents?" Tai asked hopefully.

The nurse gazed at his weary expression. It looked as though he had been up most of the night. 

"I'll notify them for you." She said, picking up the phone.

A few minutes later, Izzy's mother emerged from one of the elevators located in the lobby. Her mouth gaped open partially, as if she were still in shock, and her eyes did little to mask her present condition.

"I'm so glad you all came!" she nearly sobbed. Kari rushed over to her and gave her a comforting hug.

"How is he Mrs. Izumi?" she spoke softly.

"The doctor's say he'll need some blood transfusions, but that he should be fine by morning." She said, wiping the fresh tears from her eyes before they had time to spill. "He went into cardiac arrest before we arrived at the hospital…Kari…I…I can't recall a time when I ever felt so helpless, so vulnerable."

"It's alright Mrs. Izumi," Kari hushed the older woman. "He'll be alright."

The others stood back and watched nervously, not sure of what to do or how to act. T.K. twisted his hat in his hands and stared at the ground, while Matt bit his lower lip and darted his eyes around the waiting room. Tai was the only one standing with his fists clenched and a pure look of determination on his face.

"Let's go home." He muttered.

"But Tai, we just got here." T.K. reminded him, giving the older boy a puzzled look.

"There's nothing we can do here. We'll go home and rest up for tomorrow." He stated solemnly. His father placed a firm hand on his son's shoulder. Tai let out a tired sigh, and the group huddled around Mrs. Izumi, giving her words of confidence and promising to return when Izzy was able to have visitors.

"Thank you all." She smiled weakly, and waved them off as the group exited the hospital.

Out in the parking lot a cold wind rushed over the group, making them all shiver. 

Tai gazed around cautiously, half expecting a vampire to show up.

"Take it easy son." His father said, opening the car door as everyone climbed into the vehicle.

"What is it man?" Matt asked as the two occupied the back seat with T.K. in the middle, slowly dozing off.

"I know he's here." Tai stated, his face plastered against the car window, searching the parking lot for the dark figure.

"Maybe you're just tired, and your mind is playing tricks." Matt suggested skeptically as he also was searching the rows of cars from his side of the vehicle. Tai whirled his head around to see the blonde peering out of his own window and gave him a half smirk, which he missed seeing entirely, as he was busy looking for a certain creature of the night.

"Come on Matt, a cold breeze in the middle of summer?" Tai rolled his eyes and a yawn escaped his lips. "Not likely…" he trailed off, his eyes beginning to flutter shut. Mr. Kamiya watched the rearview mirror with sleepy eyes, as all three boys in the backseat drifted off into slumber.

Tai had been right of course, as a dark figure emerged from the shadows of the parked cars. He quietly set his gaze on the car rolling out of the parking lot and into the vacant streets of Odaiba.

"We shall see." He nodded, his eyes narrowing into two tiny slits, almost as though he knew what the group of teens had planned. Shrouding himself with his cape, he ascended into the night sky.

Okay, not such a bad place to leave off, eh? At least it's not one of those dreaded cliffhangers, like the ones I use quite frequently in my other story. =) As always, I humbly request you R+R. 


	8. Into the Darkness

A/N:  Alright, so this one's been sitting around on the old hard drive for a while. Somehow I got caught up in completing Vengeance and let this one take a siesta, but here's the next chapter. Hope ya like…however I have my qualms about it. It doesn't seem to live up to the last few chapters, or maybe that's just me. Okay un-beta read, so there may be some mistakes and what not, that's about all. R+R please.

Mircea and Radu watched with amusement, as their brother threw open the double doors to the entrance of their domain. A cold breeze wafted in behind him, causing his cape to swirl about the contours of his vampiric body.

"Welcome home brother!" Radu smirked; knowing all too well that his sibling was in a rage.

Vlad stormed by the two vampires, his eyes intent upon one thing and one thing only. He would uncover the secret of the young girl's power tonight! Slowly, he ran his tongue over the two canine like fangs, as the snickering from his siblings made his undead blood boil. With one flick of his wrist, Radu was levitated.

Before he had a chance to retaliate, his body was flung into the nearest wall, eliciting a loud thud.

Mircea looked on in wide wonder, he had never known his brother to lash out at either of them in that manner.

Vlad casually opened his fist, causing his younger brother to crumple to the floor.

"It did no harm." Radu snarled, glaring at the figure of his sibling, as he brought himself up to a standing position and calmly brushed the dust from his clothing.

"Consider yourself lucky." The head vampire hissed before heading off to where Sora was located.

"Me thinks he has fear of something." Mircea commented, stroking his chin with his thumb and index finger.

"How could you tell brother?" Radu inquired.

"He is not one to get so riled up as he was just then. Something troubles him." He replied.

"Perhaps those children?" Radu offered.

"He has failed once again tonight. He's losing his edge." Mircea stated, as he shifted his gaze from the hallway towards his younger brother.

"What do you mean?"

"He failed to finish off the blonde…and tonight, he was supposed to rid us of the redheaded boy. In both instances, he has failed to do so." The older vampire explained.

"How very odd." Radu said, furrowing his brow. "It is not like him at all not to complete a kill. Perhaps he is right, about there being something different about these particular children."

"Shall we investigate?" the elder asked, for the notion had begun to trouble him as well. If there were something about these teenagers, that might possibly be the cause of their downfall, he wanted to know.

Radu nodded, as both slipped quietly down the hall in pursuit of Vlad.

Sora sat huddled in one corner of the room. She dared not leave it, for she knew that Vlad's brothers were lurking about somewhere, and were probably keeping an eye on her. She rubbed her tear-stained cheeks as she tried to decide what to do.

Becoming a vampire was out of the question, she didn't even need to think about that one twice. Then quite suddenly, her head perked up. She could hear soft footsteps echoing in the distance, indicating someone was coming towards the room. Apparently Vlad had wanted his presence known, for if he wished to sneak up on her he could have easily done so.

The auburn-haired girl clutched her knees and slowly began to rock back and forth. 

"Oh Tai," she murmured, "Where are you?"

The slow rocking motion caused her body to relax, and as it did she let her mind wander. Visions of a certain wild haired boy with goggles entered her head. She closed her eyes and a faint smile played across her lips as she remembered the last time she had been with him. He was so nervous, trying so hard to impress her. Poor Tai, she mused. Her heart beat faster as she recalled what it felt like to hold his hand, feel his presence, and…  She shook her head in dismay at the last thought. It was one she had yet to experience. Though it didn't stop her from imagining what it would be like to kiss Tai, feel his soft warm lips against hers. The idea sent shivers down her spine.

No, she thought, as her eyes flew open. The shivers had not been brought on by such a beautiful notion; they had been the direct cause of the fiend kneeling down in front of her.

His cold breath against her skin had been the perpetrator.  "Are you ready my dear?" he asked charismatically.

"Stay away from me!" she cried, as she jumped to her feet.

Vlad gave her an evil and determined stare. His efforts would not be thwarted this time. As the vampire closed in, Sora's crest began to glow a bright red.

Vlad stopped at this phenomenon, the color red immediately catching his eye. He stared at the crest hungrily; it was just the right hue, he thought.

"And why does it glow like it does?" he asked, closing the gap between them, as Sora pressed herself against the wall.

The young girl refused to give him an answer.

"I will not tolerate such obstinate behavior!" he hissed, baring his fangs.

Sora let out a startled yelp, as her eyes widened in horror. She clutched her crest fearfully as if it might possibly help her. However, this time the vampire took no pleasure in her apprehension. Under normal circumstances, he would have relished the moment, but now was different. He was determined to find out what was so special about the trinket she wore around her neck…and why her mere presence caused his stomach to flutter.

Sora clenched her fists and squeezed her eyes shut, knowing she could delay the inevitable no longer. She could feel him getting closer. Her eyes shot open briefly, catching his gaze before he struck. His eyes were an unnatural violet color, and they flickered, like that of an animal's, as the light from her crest caught them. She searched the amethyst pools frantically, looking for any sign of remorse for his actions, but she found none.

A sharp pain ripped through her body as he dug his pristine fangs into the soft flesh of her neck and her eyes rolled back up into her head. Unbeknownst to her, or the vampire who eagerly fed upon her, the red light from her crest began to radiate around the two bodies.

Mircea and Radu watched from the shadows with amazement at the scene before them. As Vlad took gulp after voracious gulp from the keeper of Love, the crimson light seemed to engulf them, almost as though it were forming a protective barrier.

Sora could feel the life being drained from her, as each beat of her heart pulsated the blood into the vampire's system. Her hands dropped limply to her sides, the only force holding her up was that of Vlad's strong hands.

He wrapped his arms around her frail frame, tightly embracing her. Her entire body had gone cold, the color now gone from her cheeks. And then as fast as he had started, he stopped his malicious attack.

Using one hand, he tilted Sora's head forward and watched as her eyes casually fell upon his. There was a vacant look in her gaze, which told Vlad that she was near death. Her head lolled back and forth as he held her up with one hand, while bringing the other to his lips.

Tenderly, he tore at the skin around his wrist, until the life giving liquid oozed from the wound. He stared at Sora seductively, beckoning her with the promise of blood. A soft mist swirled about in her dull eyes, as the vampire's hypnotic stare cast its spell upon her.

Though her heart tried to convince her otherwise, she gave in to the powerful urge and went for his wrist greedily. The scarlet beams of light emanating from her crest intertwined with Vlad's wrist, and began to enter his body through the open wound. A stinging sensation caused him to clench his teeth, as a bright flash blinded the onlookers. At first he was confused, he hadn't realized what had happened, and dismissed it as part of the transformation process. Vlad eagerly watched as his victim drank, her body succumbing to her newfound vampire characteristics.

Mircea and Radu flew back, shielding their eyes in the process. The light had stung their eyes, and seared the top layer of flesh on their faces.

"What is going on!?" Mircea demanded, clutching at his sore tissue, which immediately began to heal itself.

"Surely it would have killed him." Radu insisted, lightly patting the skin that had already begun to peel.

"This is wrong!" his brother replied, slowly lowering himself to the ground, while his younger brother remained in the air, still a bit startled.

"In all these years he has never bestowed the gift of immortality on anyone!" Mircea seethed. "Why now, and why to this…girl!?" he continued.

Radu agilely glided down from the ceiling to stand beside his preternatural sibling.

"I must know!" he cried, fists clenched, as his eyes began to turn a bloody shade of red. Without another word he thrust the door open, easily knocking it off its hinges.

By this time it was complete, and Vlad remained in one corner of the room, cradling his beloved within the confines of his cape.

"What have you done!?" Mircea raged, grabbing Vlad by the shoulder and whipping him around, only to come face to face with mischievous demonic eyes.

A sly smirk crossed the teenage girl's lips as two pointed fangs protruded from either side of her mouth.

Mircea's eyes narrowed at the sight, and he gave his brother a menacing glare.

"Calm down brother dear." Vladimir spoke sarcastically, as he stroked Sora's beautiful auburn hair.

Radu casually floated over to the two using his supernatural skills. He silently studied his brother's eyes as Mircea brooded on the sidelines.

"I see a plan Master." Radu grinned. Mircea merely rolled his eyes, a mortal tendency he was given to do every now and then. Radu was the only one who ever addressed their brother as master, and even though he was responsible for both their creation, the elder refused to demean himself by using such a title around him.

"What is it you see?" he finally asked, shifting his gaze from Vlad to Radu.

The younger brother let out a sinister chuckle as he reached for Sora's hands.

"Come my sister! We have much to do in order to prepare you." He said excitedly, as he swung her into his arms and dashed out the room with her, the two laughing all the way down the hall.

Vlad looked at Mircea and nonchalantly picked at his nails.

"Well, are you going to inform me?" Mircea sneered.

"My, my, but Radu is perceptive." He smiled.

"You are trying my patience brother dear." Mircea said through clenched teeth.

"The Keeper of Love," he began, "she holds a power like none I have ever come across."

"Your point?" the other vampire sighed impatiently.

"My point is this," Vlad continued, undaunted by his brother's irritating demeanor, "For this reason, it has been quite difficult to defeat these mortals. Each one of them has a special power, which I believe enables them to overcome impossible odds."

Mircea gave him a sideways glance as if to say continue.

"Now that I have your attention," Vlad said cracking his knuckles, "I feel the only way to beat them is by using their power against them. I know each one of them must carry an amazing amount of power, because I could feel it when I made Sora a vampire." Vlad stated, as his thoughts carried him back to the moment when the light from Sora's crest had entered his system. Such a warm feeling, unlike any experience he had ever had before.

"So you are proposing that we use this Sora as a weapon against her peers?" Mircea questioned.

"Exactly." His brother nodded. "I care not what becomes of her afterwards, but I do feel threatened by these teenagers. And while they walk the earth I cannot rest comfortably." Vlad paused, eyeing his brother intently. "They must die! And at the hands of one of their own!" he laughed.

A satisfied smile manifested on Mircea's face.

"My dear Mircea," Vlad added jokingly, "was thou jealous?"

Once again, a look of pure hatred settled over his features as he glared at Vlad.

"I was nothing of the sort." He snorted, turning on his heel to exit.

Vlad only chuckled lightly as he watched his brother leave. The laughter ceased as his eyes fell upon the scar that remained in the palm of his hand; a scar that still troubled him, despite his recent success in turning Sora into a creature of the night.

Should I even continue?? I'll let you decide. 


	9. The Vampire Sora

A/N: Well, I hope I didn't leave this one sitting around too long. As you can see I've finished up Vengeance, so now I'm devoting most of my time to completing this fic. A special thanx to all the reviewers. You guys have been wonderful and I appreciate all the suggestions and feedback. I'm probably *crosses fingers* going to be posting the rest of this fic up soon. I've been working on it feverishly, so expect one or two more chapters by the end of this week… I believe that is all that is left. Anyway, the disclaimer is on the first chapter, and who knows which other chapters I put it on, but it's clear I do not own Digimon. Alright, on w/ the fic!

Rating: hmm..PG-13…I don't think there's anything too bad in this one. *shrugs*

Long after their visit to the hospital, the teenagers returned home, and by a special request from Tai, the two brothers were allowed to spend the remainder of the night at his house.

Kari was already nestled in the top bunk fast asleep, having dozed off during the car trip home. Likewise, Matt and T.K. were curled up in sleeping bags on the floor, leaving one person unaccounted for.

Tai gazed out his bedroom window, an exhausted look taking precedence over most of his features. Even his brown mess of hair lacked the vitality it once had, drooping over his trademark goggles. His chocolate brown eyes scanned the horizon of flickering streetlights and lonely tall buildings, as his mind wandered elsewhere. He faintly heard his sister's light breathing in the background, accompanied by some soft snoring from his best friend, and slight groans from T.K. as he rolled over in his sleep.

It seemed even the city could sleep soundly, as the night grew quieter, the silence being broken only by the chirping of crickets, or the rustling of leaves, as a small breeze made it's way through the treetops. So relaxing, Tai thought, so serene. Yet so utterly miserable…without Sora here to share it with, he concluded.

A depressed sigh escaped the teenager's lips. Not one, but two of his friends had been attacked, had been the victim of that demonic cur. And what's more, the single individual who seemed to make his life complete was violently taken from him.

It pained his heart so, for he still felt as though he could have done something to prevent it. A clenched fist pounded the window frame in frustration, as his body wracked with silent tears.

T.K.'s crystal blue eyes fluttered open, as he slowly began to stir. Groggily, he rolled over to face his brother; at first assuming the noise was coming from him. Sleepily he studied Matt's face, finding him to be deep in slumber. Craning his head, he noticed Tai's bed was empty; furthermore it had not been slept in at all, as the sheets were neatly tucked into the corners.

The younger blonde quietly sat up and pushed himself out of his sleeping bag. With great covertness he stood up and proceeded towards the lonely figure at the window. He paused at the edge of the bunk beds, glancing up at Kari. Inhaling deeply, he took in her scent; she was sweet smelling like fresh flowers on a spring day. T.K. let out a sigh and shook his head as he smiled to himself. When would he ever muster the courage to tell her something like that? He shrugged and stealthily made his way to the pool of light on the carpet that came in through the open window.

"Tai?" he asked timidly. If Tai was anything like Matt he knew his good intentions would be met with animosity, especially if Matt were the one crying in a corner in the middle of the night.

"Yeah?" Tai sniffled, quickly wiping away the tears that betrayed him. He hadn't wanted to be caught sniveling over his lost love. After all he had a reputation to uphold, he was the bearer of Courage, and courageous people just didn't break down and cry when they were most needed to be strong.

"It's okay to cry." T.K. whispered. "I don't think any less of you because of it. You're only doing what comes natural at…" his mouth went dry; as he tried to choose his words carefully, "…at a time like this." he finished.

Tai's head sank down, as he rested his forehead on his arms.

"I have to be strong…for Sora's sake." He muttered.

T.K. took a few cautious steps towards him.  "We all have to be strong…at some point in our lives." He began. Tai blinked and turned to face the younger boy.

"I think right now, you have enough people being strong…for you. So it's okay to relieve some of the excess stress you're putting on yourself." T.K. stood nervously, tugging at the bottom of his T-shirt as he awaited Tai's response.

"Yeah." Tai said, forcing a smile. T.K. returned it with a sincere one.

"You're right." Tai nodded, actually feeling a little better.

"Look, we're all here for you. If not in physical form, then in spirit." He said, referring to Izzy. "That's what friends are for, you know that. And we'll find Sora, we'll defeat this new evil, Izzy will pull through, because I believe in us." T.K. stated firmly.

At this speech, Tai had to smile, genuinely. "Nice pep talk coach." He grinned, as he ruffled T.K.'s hair playfully.

"So…" T.K. yawned, "Give it some thought…or…don't think much about it and get some rest, your choice." He said, concluding their conversation as he dragged his feet   along the carpet, making his way back to his makeshift bed.

"Thanks T.K." Tai whispered, as he trailed behind the younger boy, heading towards the bottom bunk.

Slowly but surely, the brunette allowed himself to settle down and drift off to sleep as he wrapped his arms around his pillow.

"Is she almost ready?" Mircea called out as he hovered in the air with one leg resting on his knee, using it to prop up his elbow. "We don't have all night!" he said in a singsong voice.

"I think…she is ready!" Radu hissed from the darkness.

Sora took gentle steps as she emerged from the shadows of her dressing room.

"Well done brother." Mircea silently applauded as he took in her attire.

A midnight black dress replaced her old clothes. It was frayed at the bottom, while the top cut just below her neckline. She wore her crest proudly displaying it as the centerpiece of her ensemble, and her nails were a blood red color to match.

"My dear you look ravishing." Vlad complimented, as he pushed past the now grounded Mircea. Gracefully, he slid her outstretched hand into his own as he knelt to kiss it.

"I was hoping this would please you." She smirked, looking to Radu in acknowledgement.

"It's perfect! Shall we?" he asked, extending his arm to her.

Sora nodded and latched onto the debonair vampire's arm.

"Shall we accompany you?" Mircea asked, not in the least impressed by his brother's display of affection towards his newly inducted pet.

"That won't be necessary." He growled, "Sora and I shall handle this on our own."

"As you wish." He replied, shrugging and looking towards Radu.

"We will be here should you need us." Radu added, as the two watched their creator take to the skies with Sora swept up in his arms.

"…should your plan go awry." The youngest muttered, earning him a snicker from Mircea.

The senses she had acquired were both new and exciting to the young girl as she clutched the vampire's lapels eagerly. Every sight, every sound was crisper, more defined. Her eyes darted back and forth across the night sky like those of a rambunctious child. 

She had yet to master the skill of flying, but Sora was able to hover fairly well. Her vampiric ears seemed to be the most developed, as she heard everything to the minutest sound. A caterpillar's legs, scraping across the surface of a leaf, a droplet of dew falling to the soil, as well as many other strange and exotic noises new to her preternatural sense of hearing.

She marveled at her keen eyesight, which allowed her to navigate the smallest fiber on Vlad's silk shirt. But most enthralling to her, was her vampiric sense of smell. She could hunt her victims easily with this feature. So precise was it, that she could detect the heat of many a small animal scurrying on the ground. The scent captivated her, and sent the fledgling vampire into a fit of excitement.

"Master?" she asked coyly, gazing up at Vlad with immense doe eyes.

"Yes my love." He answered.

"May I feed now? Please." She begged, giving him a most seductive look. Yet another advantage to her vampire body, for bearing the crest of love gave her unbridled power over the emotions of her victims, a gift she would soon discover.

"Not yet my dear." Vlad cooed. The feeling was all too queer to him. Never before had his heart pounded as it did that very moment. A warm feeling flooded over him, but it was not from the fresh supply of blood coursing through his undead veins.

Instantly, Vlad shook it off. He refused to give in to such weak sentiments. Though normally cruel and callous, Vlad found he had taken a fancy to this young girl. And it was because of this that he wanted to rid himself of her forever, but not until he had successfully completed his plan.

The moon was scarcely visible that night, but the stars were out to guide their way, despite the fact that it was really unnecessary. Vlad had excellent night vision, a trait he was most proud of and enjoyed showing off whenever he was given the chance.

Sora gazed up at the sky longingly; it was a beautiful shade of deep purple. She ran her tongue along the outline of her fangs in anticipation. She knew the time grew near, she could feel it. Soon, she would make her first kill, satisfying the powerful desire for blood.

If the night air were chilly, she could not tell anymore, for her skin had been drained of all its previous color, leaving her as cold as ice to the touch. In one swift motion her head jerked to the side, staring down at the Kamiya's apartment building. She knew the place by heart, even the exact location of Tai's window.

"Down there." She motioned, as Vlad swooped in lower. Sora wrapped one arm around his neck and used the other to indicate where she wished to be left off. Vlad had trusted her to do this alone; sort of a test as one might put it; a test of her loyalty.

Gently, he set her down on the ledge right in front of the window. She maintained perfect balance as her preternatural reflexes took command. 

"I shan't be long." She stated, using what little telekinetic powers she possessed to slide the window open. Unlike Vlad, her powers were much weaker, being the offspring of such a dominant vampire, for each time he had given the gift, the powers he passed on grew weaker; leaving Mircea somewhat stronger than Radu, and Radu just a step above Sora.

The young girl took great delight in her new powers, as she hovered into the dark bedroom.

Immediately, her senses were overtaken by the smell of blood. She lunged forward in the blackness, her eyes scanning the ground for the source. Her eyes widened considerably as her sights fell upon the sleeping form of Matt.

Silently she levitated over him, one of her tiny white fingers crept along the edge of his sleeping bag as she gently pulled it back, revealing the cluster of stitches at the base of his neck, from Vlad's previous attack. The smell seemed to hypnotize her, as she floated above him entranced.

A soft murmur coming from behind her caught her attention, as she ignored the blonde teenager for the time being to investigate.

"Sora…" Tai mumbled in his troubled sleep, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

The vampire cocked a curious eyebrow at this creature. How had he known her name? She inched closer to the sleeping boy; until she was so close her breath touched his skin. It was him! The boy wearing the goggles, the one she had been ordered to kill.

"Sora…" he whispered again, this time a single tear rolled down his cheek.

He was weeping? Weeping for her no less. This did strike her as being odd. She softly brushed a stray lock of hair from his face. How handsome this particular mortal seemed to be, she thought, as her fingertips glided down the contour of his face. Finally resting on the trinket he wore around his neck. She blinked in astonishment as she held the small ornament, so similar to her own.

Something was amiss here, but she could not place what it was. Once again her mind was tainted with the urge for blood and she feared she could control it no longer. She squeezed her eyes shut as she was overcome with instinctive impulses.

No matter, she thought. It must be done. Slowly she brought her head down as her mouth opened wide, revealing the deadly fangs. Something in the back of her mind told her to make this as quick and painless for the young man as she could.

Just as she was about to sink her teeth into the soft flesh of his neck, a strange scent stopped her. Mere inches from the boy's jugular, she paused and inhaled through her nose. A small smile came to her lips as she sighed blissfully. She recognized that scent, or so she thought. It was familiar, causing her heart to beat wildly with joy.

The euphoric feeling caused her concentration to slip momentarily, as her head began to wilt. Luckily, she caught herself, and snapped her head back up, brushing her cheek against his in the process. What little blood her body did contain immediately rushed to her cheeks, as the warm sensation indicated to her that she was blushing.

Don't be a fool, she mentally chided. Her thoughts slowly started becoming diluted with a mix of raw emotion and vampire logic. _If you do this, you can bestow upon him the gift of immortality._ She tried to convince herself. All the while she became more and more confused. Was she not sent here to kill this being? Was he not the enemy? Her crest suddenly began to glow, horrified, she frantically tried to tuck it away in her dress, but the black garment did little to conceal its radiance.

The beams of red light burst forth, showering the room in a crimson glow. Sora searched the room excitedly for any signs of the others waking up. Her mouth stood agape as her gaze fell to the boy she thought had been asleep.

Chocolate colored eyes stared up at her dreamily, as he had only begun to stir.

"Sora?" the young man seemed to crack a small smile.

The young girl panicked and began to rise higher, unknowingly knocking her head against the top bunk.

"Ow!" she yelped, clutching the back of her head. This sound caused Tai to fully awaken. He shot up in his bed and looked up at the girl in great surprise. His breath seemed to catch in his throat as he tried to figure out whether he was still dreaming.

"Sora you're flying!?" he blurted, it was the only thing he could think of to say in his present state of astonishment.

The small jolt from Sora's impact with the bed awoke Tai's sister. Hazily she opened her eyes, as the sound of muffled voices reached her ears. Curiously, she poked her head over the side of the bed to see her missing friend hovering above her brother.

"Sora!?" she inquired, keeping her voice at a steady neutral tone.

Once again, the vampire girl whirled around for another shock.

_Do it now! Do it now!!_ Her mind raced fearfully as her eyes glanced back towards the window, her only refuge. But Vlad would be waiting, and he would become quite angry to find she had not completed her mission.

Wasting no more time, she lunged at the boy.

"Sora, what are you doing!?" he cried, raising his hands to block her attack. As soon as she was close enough, he latched onto her arms and held her firmly. She thrashed wildly in his grip.

"Let me go!" she screamed, wriggling back and forth.

"Sora, I don't understand?" he said, both puzzlement and heartache filling his voice.

Just as he was about to ask her why, he got his answer, as she bared her fangs at him, a blood-curdling hiss escaping her.

"Sora, what did he do to you?!!" Tai screamed, his eyes widening, as horrid demonic sounds spewed forth from her. But the wails and moans she elicited did not sound evil, nor did they sound angry. Her shrieks were more troubled and confused, like that of a wild animal caught in a hunter's trap.

The two boys asleep on the floor were finally roused by her wild screams. T.K.'s eyes fluttered open and quickly took in the scene.  Immediately, he was on his feet and grabbed Sora from behind, wrapping his arms around her waist.

Kari also sprang into action as she hopped down from her bed.  "Don't hurt her you guys!" she called to T.K. and Matt who had rushed to his brother's side, attempting to assist in his efforts to pin the girl.

Unbeknownst to Sora, her transformation had gifted her with a lethal amount of telekinetic energy. Unlike the powers she had used to open the window, and not enough to control the weather and such things as Vlad was capable of, but just enough to manipulate everyday objects. With a thunderous blast, she sent the two brothers flying into the wall. They landed in a heap in the corner of Tai's room and remained still.

"Oh no!" Kari screamed, bringing her hands to her lips.

With that out of the way, her path to Tai was clear, or so she thought. A small and agile figure darted out at her from the shadows, pinning her to the mattress.

"Kari?" Tai asked in astonishment.

"Don't just sit there Tai, help me!" the girl exclaimed, trying her best to hold the vampire down. Tai wasted no time and threw the sheets off himself. Quickly, he crawled to the edge of the bed, where his sister and Sora struggled for control. He started to reach out to help her, when an ethereal force drove him back.

He could only watch in horror as his body flew back and connected with one of the bedposts. He doubled over and fell off the bed, as his midsection had taken the brunt of the impact.

"Master!" Sora cried, ceasing her struggle, as both her and Kari stared at the vampire in wide wonder.

"You have failed." His voice boomed.

Tears began to flood Sora's eyes. "No master, no! Forgive me!" she begged, dreading his rejection.

With every ounce of strength she had, she managed to throw Kari off, sending the girl through the air like a discarded rag doll. She rose up and fluttered over to stand before the angered Vlad Tepes.

With pleading eyes she approached him, never shifting her gaze. The vampire turned his head in sheer disgust. He knew she was trying to work some sort of magic on him, and he refused to be taken in…but…those eyes.

He coldly brought his gaze back to her.

"Well then my dear…" he asked, voice dripping with contempt, "how will you amend this?"

For the first time she broke her stare from his, eyes searching the ground frantically for anything that might rectify the situation.

Vlad sneered and looked towards the other children strewn about the room. This indeed had been a disaster, but his plans could be salvaged.

"I see you are not yet ready." He cooed, causing a confused Sora to study him curiously.

Tai slowly began to come to. He held his stomach tenderly as his eyes fell upon the two forms in the center of the room.

"Sora!" he screamed, pain rushing up and down his torso. Apparently his meeting with the bedpost had caused more damage than he had originally thought as he clutched his chest.

Vlad immediately swept the girl up in his arms, as she stole one last glance behind her at the disheveled boy in the corner.

"NO!" Tai screamed, "Not again!" he said scrambling to his feet. Matt was the first of the two brothers to rouse, as he watched Tai run towards the open window. He bolted upright and dove towards the brunette, catching him by the waist as he hanged precariously out the window.

"NOOO!" Tai moaned, arms thrashing wildly in the blonde's grasp. Carefully, Matt pulled him back inside.

"He had Sora!" Tai yelled, shoving Matt backwards.

"And I suppose you taking a dive from your five story apartment complex would have helped her!?" Matt retaliated.

Tai gave the boy an indignant glare and folded his arms. Matt completely ignored him and rushed over to help his brother to his feet.

"You alright?" he asked, only receiving a nod from the younger boy as they made their way over to Kari.

Tai glanced down at his digivice, which oddly enough had begun to let off a signal. He remembered that they had been unable to use them before to seek out Sora. Izzy speculated that Vlad had something to do with it, but now Tai began to think that he had somehow let his guard down, enabling the device to function again.

"We're going after them." he stated firmly to the other children, who were still trying to regain their bearings.

"Right now?" Kari asked, a bit worried.

"Yes, right now." Tai insisted. He had been driven to desperation. This had been the second time he had lost Sora to the vampire fiend, he vowed he would not lose her a third time, as he gripped his digivice in one hand. His crest beginning to glow a faint orange.

Well, I don't consider this cliffhanger material, because I've left readers at far worse situations. LOL! But expect the next chapter very soon. Thanx Someguyy2k for all your patience. ^_^


	10. The First Strike

A/N: Hey, here's the next chapter, I told ya I was working at a speedy pace. lol. Thank you everyone for all the wonderful reviews! ^_^ 

To **Ralph Wiggum**, wow! You're like my most prominent reviewer! Thank you soo much and I hope my next few chapters do not disappoint.

To **Light^_^** the idea of Tai becoming vampirized (*shrugs* I don't think that's a word, my spellcheck is going psycho w/ it lol) anywho, I'm liking the prospect of it, but we'll just have to see, it wasn't originally part of the storyline.

To **raptorix**, what a kick @$$ cool idea for vampire digimon. You just gave me a brill idea for a fic. No vamp critters in this fic though, but if I can work out all the fine details I may write a fic w/ them. ^_^

This was no good, the vampire thought as he flew upon wings of fury into the night sky.

"Master, I'm sorry." The auburn haired fledgling continued to sob into his silk shirt, as she clutched at his lapels, leaving a small stain of blood on the soft material.

"Do not weep my dear. Save your strength for the final battle." He hissed.

Sora's blood shot eyes blinked inquisitively. "Final battle?" she asked.

"Your little mishap has caused quite a commotion, and now I fear our enemies are close at hand." Vlad explained.

At this, Sora buried her face into the vampire's chest. Guilt overcame her. Confusion ruled her mind, but what hurt her worst of all was the fluttering sensation in her chest. It pained her greater than any stab wound could inflict. It was like a virus, devouring her from the inside out, yet she could not cure it, and knew not what it was.

Her loyalty lay with Vlad, yet some unknown force had pulled her to that boy. And when she had seen his crest and heard his voice call out to her, it was then she knew she could not harm him, but how to explain this to Vlad. And if she were to explain, would he listen? Would he understand? Or would he condemn her for such treacherous thoughts?

The young girl had no time to ask anything of him, as they arrived back outside the graveyard, and he gently set her on her feet.

"Come, we must prepare." He ordered, signaling for her to follow, he would not carry her any longer.

"Everything go as planned?" Mircea inquired sarcastically once the two were within the confines of the lair. Vlad shot him a cold glare, with enough malice to freeze the blood of even the undead.

"I expected as much." Radu snorted, "The girl is too young, the vampire instinct is fresh in her mind. She requires more training."

"We have NO time!" Vlad pressed, looming in front of his younger brother so that they were eye to eye with only an inch separating them.

The younger vampire shrank back. At times, he was one to be arrogant, and even so bold as to mock or question Vlad, but his brother had been in a mood the entire night, and he felt it was wise to lay low.

"They are coming." The eldest immortal stated.

Mircea, who had been staring at Sora during the interaction between Vlad and Radu now glanced up at the two.

"And she is at fault!?" Mircea half asked, half accused as he lunged towards Sora, eyes burning fiercely. "Treacherous jade!" he cried.

No sooner had he lifted off the ground to attack, then Vlad using his preternatural skill, slid in between the two, blocking the oncoming peril.

"NO!" his voice shook the walls, causing small particles of dust to detach and flutter to the floor. 

Sora winced and clutched at the trinket she bore around her neck.

"You will not lay a hand on her!" Vlad shouted, grabbing Mircea by the collar with icy cold hands and flinging him backwards. Mircea sailed through the air before slamming into the large wooden double doors. A loud crack was heard, but it had only been the wood splitting under the tremendous force. Mircea slid to the floor. With little effort he arose quickly, seemingly unscathed.

"We must prepare for their arrival. And she," he scowled and addressed the girl with one long outstretched finger, "is a vital aspect to our victory!"

"The years have made you mad!" Mircea sneered. "Let us destroy her now, and deal with these children in our own way!"

"We will do no such thing!" the head vampire hollered, his voice raising an octave. "Are you forgetting who the master is around here?" Vlad hissed vehemently.

To this, Mircea simply folded his arms indignantly. His brilliant eyes flickered with supernatural prowess.  

"Fine." He stated icily. "Do what you wish. I will tell you this…that girl has infected you somehow, but if you wish to die tonight, then follow your heart." The last word came out as if Mircea were referring to a wretched creature that served little purpose but to be killed.

Vlad's eyes narrowed at this remark and his violet eyes began to take on a reddish hue.

"You will guard the northern entrance." He instructed. "Now out of my sight you cur!" 

Mircea obeyed only to be out of his brother's presence.

"As for you," Vlad indicated to Radu, "you will stand watch at this entrance. There are only three ways to enter, I will look after the eastern wing."

Radu merely bowed in acknowledgement before Vlad gathered Sora in his arms and led her down the long corridor.

Tai's heart pounded in his chest, his shoes crunching the gravel as he ran.

"Hurry up you guys!" he cried out to his three companions, making their way as quick as they could to where he stood at the front gate of the cemetery.

The night was still upon them, but the sun would be rising soon. This indeed would give them the upper hand, but they had to find the vampire's lair first.

Out of breath, Matt halted beside his best friend. Reaching for his digivice, he glanced down at the apparatus and let out a short sigh when he discovered Sora's life force was still blinking.

"We're close." Tai muttered, prying at the gate.

"Of course we're close, this IS the cemetery." T.K. said huffing and puffing up to them, followed by Kari.

"What took you so long?" Tai asked in response to T.K.'s sarcasm.

"Well, we're the ones carrying the packs." Kari stated matter-of-factly.

"So what all did you guys bring?" Matt asked, as his breath finally began to calm. They had left without so much as a word or a note to Tai's parents, and ran the entire way, unable to stop as Tai pushed on, refusing to let up until they reached their destination.

The older blonde unzipped T.K.'s backpack and peered inside. "Flashlight, good idea…wooden stakes?" he blinked, "Don't tell me this is holy water?" he asked, pulling out a small vile of clear liquid.

"Not exactly." Kari giggled. "We kinda made it in the sink."

"Crosses." Matt said, pulling out the last item. "I guess that should about do it."

As that was said, Tai finally managed to wrench open the two steel gates.

"Alright…" he said nervously, "we all set?"

Matt nodded, while T.K. gave a reassuring smile, as Kari held two thumbs up.

"Here goes." Tai said, leading the way into the murky fog that lay before them.

"You know something of these…crests." Vlad said, eyeing Sora with unbridled scrutiny. Sora felt as though he were trying to see through her, rather than look upon her.

"You may inspect it if you wish." She said, holding her crest out to him.

Vlad shook his head impatiently. "That would not answer my question." He replied, gazing down at the crest that lay in her outstretched palm, a sneer curled upon his lip.

"I do not understand what you mean. How would I know of such things?" she asked tentatively.

"Liar!" he exclaimed, an angry hand finding its mark upon her cheek.

Sora stumbled back in horror.

"You said yours stood for Love!" he cried, his temper relevant in his voice, as well as his actions.

"I did?" Sora asked, faintly recalling the occurrence. She rubbed her crest in her hand, trying, almost forcing herself to remember. More thoughts of the goggle-clad boy entered her head, as well as eight shining crests, each illuminated in their own distinct color.

"Mine is Love…" she said, her voice sounding distant. "And…then there is Courage."

"Yes?" Vlad coaxed. "And who is Courage?"

"T-Tai." She stuttered, her body began to tremble. The name had come to her, but she did not know from whence it had manifested.

The wheels in Vlad's vampiric mind began to spin as he weighed his opponent. Courage would be easy to defeat, especially for one whose very name had struck fear in the hearts of millions.

"There are more." Vlad interrupted her thoughts.

"Yes…Knowledge."

Knowledge was already a memory, no troubles there.

"Friendship." Sora continued.

"And who might Friendship be?" Vlad inquired.

"Matt." She said, a puzzled look on her face, as if the name both meant something to her but didn't.

"The blonde." Vlad mused. "I have not finished with him yet." he chuckled sinisterly.

"And…Hope." 

"When I am through with them, there shall be no hope!" Vlad announced, clenching his fists in an early triumph.

Somewhere along the lines, Mircea had been correct. Vlad's mind had become fogged. Perhaps it was Sora's Love, or the way he underestimated his opponents. For one who had become a pillar of supernatural strength, his strategic mind was rendered dull by his overconfidence. At one time, the key to his success would have been a well thought out plan accompanied by his preternatural powers. But now, he foolishly relied on his powers alone to win the battle.

"I have heard enough!" he said, raising his pristine chin in arrogance. His eyes twitched back and forth as his ears detected a sound inaudible to those of mortal ears. Sora's head perked up as she had heard it too.

"They are here." He grinned wickedly, the aroma of fresh blood already invading his senses.

Tai gazed around suspiciously. It had been almost too easy to find the vampire's hideout. He expected trouble along the way, a few undead, some rogue vampires, or at least some sort of change in the weather, but everything was calm, and eerily too placid for his liking.

"So we found the place," T.K. announced, the LCD on his digivice blinked wildly, "But how do we get in?"

Matt ran his hand along the cold, stone surface. Their search had led them to an unmarked headstone.

"Do we dig?" Kari asked, wandering around to the other side of the grave marker.

Tai's hands rested on his hips as he tried to solve this puzzle.

"The vampire wouldn't bury himself, would he?" The dark haired boy treaded along the perimeter of the grave. "The dirt isn't fresh, look there's grass growing here. The earth has been untouched for some time."

"Unless this is one of his tricks." Matt reminded, absent-mindedly scratching the stitches below his neck that had already begun to heal.

The three boys jumped as Kari let out a startled gasp. 

"What is it!?" Tai said, rushing to her side, dreading what he would find.

"There wasn't any writing before." Kari stuttered, her lip quivering as small beads of sweat glistened on her forehead.

"Huh?" Tai stood puzzled, as he bit his lower lip, the sense of paranoia never leaving him, as he glanced around quickly before looking in the direction where his sister was pointing.

Matt's mouth dropped open in a mix of shock and fear, while T.K.'s breath caught in his throat. Tai only clenched his fists, a scowl crossed his face, and an air of resolve seemed to settle over his features. He would not be intimidated.

On the gravestone read each of their names, followed by date of birth and date of death. Kari clutched T.K.'s arm fearfully, as he was the closest to her at the time.

"It's okay Kari." He soothed, but then his muscles tensed as he witnessed a crimson liquid oozing forth from the letters. Now he understood why Kari had reacted the way she did.

Matt turned his head and frowned. "It's just a trick to scare us." He said under his breath.

Tai ran around to the backside of the headstone and leaned up against it with all his weight.

"What are you doing?" the older blonde queried.

"Oh I get it." T.K. chimed, releasing Kari's hand and running over to assist Tai.

Together, the two pushed on the large slab of stone, and slowly but surely it began to slide across the wet ground. The mist still hung thick in the air, but the fading moonlight helped them to see a little bit of their surroundings.

Kari began to dig in her backpack for the flashlight she had brought.

As his sister continued her search, Tai peered down into the darkness they had uncovered. It seemed to him that this was some sort of passageway that led further down into the depths of Vlad's domain. 

A snapping sound caught the teenagers' attention, as Matt whipped his head around in the direction of the disturbance.

None of them dared to breath.

"I knew this was too easy." Tai whispered, as the children began to huddle together, each of them back to back. Ready for an attack from either side.

Out of the fog loomed a tall, wretched looking figure accompanied by the stench of rotting flesh. The smell stung their noses, as its owner appeared before them. With one long spindly hand, it shot out, clutching T.K. by the neck as he tried to evade it. The creature's eyes hung from their sockets. It was clad in tattered clothes; it's skin a greenish pallor, while most of its face resembled that of the skull that was scarcely hidden by one layer of slime-covered tissue.

It let out a sickly gurgle as its icy fingers closed around the young boy's neck.

"Matt!" the teenager barely managed as his air supply was cut off. The creature lifted him from the ground and brought him in close. T.K.'s entire body began to quake and he squeezed his eyes shut as the ghastly scent caused them to tear up.

Wasting no time, Matt sprang to his brother's aid. Grabbing Kari's backpack, he swung it at the zombie, knocking one of his arms loose as it hurled through the air.

The creature's glowing yellow eye sockets narrowed at the blonde and it let out a vile hiss. T.K. suppressed the urge to vomit as he dug his fingernails into the soft, squishy flesh of the zombie's hand, desperately tearing at it to free himself.

The mutilated appendage, as if guided by a force all its own, scuttled across the ground on four fingers and latched onto Kari's leg. With tremendous force it pulled her leg right out from under her and she let out a yelp as her body crashed to the earth.

"Kari!" her brother cried, as he moved to help her. However, he never quite made it, as a dark figure tackled him to the ground, knocking the wind from him.

Matt went to swing again, when the creature kicked the bag from his hands. It landed in a heap before Kari; it's contents strewn upon the ground.

By this time, T.K.'s face had begun to turn a pale blue, as his wary arms reached up for one final attempt at salvation. With trembling hands, using his index and middle finger, he drove them into the empty sockets. The boy felt a warm gooey substance ooze from the hollow caverns as he withdrew his fingers.

The undead figure let out a screech of anguish as it released its grip on T.K. The young blonde fell to the ground with a thud. Gasping for breath, T.K. managed to pull himself into a sitting position, while the creature flailed and screamed, walking in a drunken fashion.

Matt reached down to help his brother up, but taking his eyes off the hideous monster stumbling around had proven to be a costly mistake, as the creature, blinded by pain and rage, lunged at him, knocking him on his back.

"NO!" T.K. cried, scrambling up on his own. He started for his brother, when an ear -piercing cry caught his attention. He whirled around to see Kari battling with the detached body part. T.K. instinctively lurched forward and stopped himself to glance back at Matt, who was making raspy, gurgling noises, as the zombie's foot drove down upon his neck. The older blonde was about to use his hands to try and wrench the foot free when a pair of decaying hands shot up from the earth and latched onto his arms, pulling them down at his sides.

T.K. could tell he was in a double bind and froze in absolute fear. What was he to do? Help his brother, or help Kari?

"T.K.!!" the brunette screamed, as she felt along the ground for a weapon, while fending off the limb with her other hand. Finally her fingers wrapped around something. Lifting the cross high, she drove it down into the dead hand. It immediately sizzled and started to retreat when it disintegrated into dust particles.

"Here!" she cried, tossing the cross to the petrified teen.

The young boy caught it and ran up behind the creature, driving it into its back. With one last wail of despair, the body of the undead dematerialized, leaving nothing but dust in its wake.

Matt continued to struggle against the green hands that held him down, as Kari and T.K. knelt down beside him and pulled him free. He sputtered and choked as he tried to get his wind back.

"Thanks." He managed.  
  


Tai struggled helplessly as the dark figure pinned him down. He writhed and kicked his legs, doing everything he could think of to break free. But the man's hold was too strong. Sharp nails dug into his wrists, causing faint trails of blood to drip down his hands.

The scent enthralled the vampire, as he bared his glistening white fangs for the boy. The heat of the vampire's breath caused Tai's skin to crawl. The demonic being moved in closer, enjoying the sense of fear elicited by the young man.

"I will enjoy killing off the leader." He hissed into Tai's ear.

With one mighty blow, Mircea was struck back. His hand clutched the burning sensation that seemed to spread across his face and he roared in pain. A branded indentation of the crucifix Kari had wielded was now evident on the creature's left cheek.

"Leave my brother alone!" her voice rang sharp, sounding much more deadlier than it ever had.

Mircea was now seething with animosity towards the bearer of Light. Gathering up all his supernatural strength, he lunged towards her, fangs bared, his talon-like fingernails outstretched.

"Kari no!" Tai screamed, as his sister was about to be overtaken and mauled by the blood-sucking fiend.

Time seemed to move in slow motion as Tai frantically hurried to stand up. He had to help her…he couldn't let Kari get hurt. But it was too late; he would never make it in time…his only hope…

Hope! His mind cried, as T.K. dove in front of the girl, brandishing a wooden stake. T.K. squeezed his eyes shut as he plunged the piece of wood deep into Mircea's chest. An enormous blast of light knocked him backwards and into Kari. Both teenagers crumpled to the ground, as Mircea let one last cry of anguish escape him before his body exploded into ash. Matt and Tai shielded their eyes from the bright glare, and for an instant, Tai almost thought he had caught a look of regret and pity upon the porcelain features of Mircea's face, but dismissed it as he ran over to his sister's side.

"Are you okay?" he asked with concern to both T.K. and Kari.

"Uh huh." The golden haired boy nodded.

"I think so." Kari replied, inspecting herself for injury.

"That's one down." Tai stated.

"And two more to go." Matt finished, staring at the three solemnly.

Kari lifted herself from the ground and dusted off her clothes. She turned to T.K. who had been standing next to her, looking somewhat disoriented. 

"Thanks," she said simply, casting her eyes to the ground as she felt her cheeks begin to glow a reddish-pink. 

T.K. reached for her hand slowly, he was afraid she might pull back, but never the less he did so anyway. His fingertips came in contact with hers and she squeezed them tightly.

"I will never let anything happen to you." He whispered as she brought her gaze up to his. Her sparkling brown eyes seemed to reflect off of his own crystal blue orbs, and she smiled.

Tai and Matt gazed back down into the depths of the hole they had uncovered. The dark-haired boy's eyes searched the darkness suspiciously. After that attack, he trusted no passageway unless he could thoroughly inspect it.

Matt reached down by his foot and retrieved the flashlight Kari had been searching for. In all the commotion it had been scattered with the rest of their items and now rested by his feet. He flipped the switch on and shined it into the shadows.

"Looks safe." Tai muttered, taking the flashlight from Matt. His brotherly instincts kicked into gear again and he instructed the two younger children to stay in the middle of the line, while he led, and Matt would guard the rear. Neither T.K. nor Kari protested. Tai was far too engulfed in his search and rescue mission to have the patience to deal with any refusals.

T.K. still clutched the wooden stake he had used to defeat Mircea, while Kari still possessed her cross. Matt took one last glance behind him before one by one they lowered themselves into the pit, following the glow of Tai's flashlight.

***Okay I'm working as fast as my fingers can type to get the rest of this out by the end of the week. *crosses fingers* So R+R….like I need to ask.lol.


	11. Revelation

A/N: And this one may be a long one..hehe. But first off I would like to say thanks for all the reviews! ^_^ They've really encouraged me to finish this thing, well that and the fact that SomeguyY2k is going to be ending his contest soon. *grins* *cracks knuckles* Alright, here goes….

To **Jimbo Jones**, no I did not forget Light, Reliability, and Sincerity. Joe and Mimi will only be appearing in this story briefly at the end. Sorry. When I wrote it I had intended for Mimi to be in America, and Joe to be studying hard in medical school, which would leave them little time to go vampire hunting. The reason I didn't have Vlad mention the crest of Light (that's why he stopped Sora short when she was listing them) is because I wanted his overconfidence in himself to be his tragic flaw. Being unable to fully assess the powers of his opponents leaves him vulnerable to any secret attacks they may have. And now this may give a little bit away regarding the end of the story, but as you said so yourself, fire is one of the key elements for defeating a vampire, and no I did not forget that either. ^_^ As everyone knows, Kari is the keeper of light, making her crest alone the most powerful and destructive against one such as Vlad and his brothers. As for adding the digimon, that would be awkward, especially since it is nearing the climax of the story and they had not been alluded to thus far. Besides that, like you also stated, Agumon or Greymon could just torch him, making it far too easy, and what kind of story would it be if the villain was easy pickings? I figured, if it were up to the kids alone, along with some help from their crests and digivices the plot would be a little more dramatic. How Biyomon would react to a vampire Sora is a very good question, but not what I originally set out to accomplish in this fic. I am not saying these are not good ideas, I am merely stating that they were not the center focus of the fic when I originally began writing it. I hope this clears up any other questions. By the way though, don't give up on the hopes of another digidestined turning vamp. ^_^

Something was wrong. Radu could sense it. Having inherited the immortal blood from Vlad, which was also given to his eldest brother, the three shared a common bond, stronger than that of just family ties. Radu could sense the presence of either of his brothers at any given time if they were within a reasonable distance, but now…one of those beacons had disappeared.

Radu's preternatural ears listened intently for any sound, any pin fall that might shed some light upon this mystery, but he heard nothing. The halls were as quiet as a sealed tomb.

His curiosity and anxiety started to get the better of him, and he wondered if he should risk leaving his post to investigate. He finally took to the air; no longer calm enough to stand firmly on the ground. Something definitely wasn't right, and he feared for his and the lives of his brothers.

Radu's vampiric senses, lacking the purity and refinement of Vlad's could not detect the intruders located on the opposite side of the complex. However, the lead vampire could smell them a mile off. He also knew all too well of the demise of Mircea, an event that did pain his heart, but one that he could cast aside until the blood of the digidestined was spilled upon his floor.

"Master, is it time?" Sora asked, noticing the intent look in Vlad's eyes. He looked like one who was waiting in the shadows to pounce at any moment upon his prey. Only this wasn't his typical night of feasting. He usually let his victims suffer little before killing them; only enough to get his adrenaline pumping and then the deed was done quickly so he could move on to his next victim. Year after year of performing this chore left little to the imagination for him anymore. In the days of old, he could think of a thousand painful and abominable deaths, and spent hours meticulously plotting them out. As of late, he grew weary of the killing, but not this time…this time, Vlad wanted to relish the moment for as long as he could. He wanted them to suffer slowly, painfully, and above all he considered it an act of vengeance on his brother's part. That little detail could not go unpunished.

They would come to him, he knew. They had already broken the northern barrier. If they turned right, they would run into Radu, and if he were anything like the vampire Vlad had trained him to be, he would at least cut them down by half or more. Not having the least bit of confidence in that fact, Vlad assumed that their final stop would be to the east, where he waited in silence. And if they had chosen that path from the beginning, then it would be an even faster route to their demise. 

Sora watched him patiently, as she perched atop one of the banisters attached to a stairwell leading up to a mausoleum above ground. She clutched her crest, rubbing its edges with her smooth vampiric fingers. Even her fingers had been gifted with the vampire sense, as she traced her index finger along the intricate outline of the object. Slowly she reached down into the folds of her dress and withdrew a small metallic device. She held it in her palm in such a way that it was only visible to her. Four dots appeared on the screen, flashing in unison as one huddled mass.

What did this mean? She wondered. A light sigh escaped her lips as she ran her tongue along the outline of her fangs. At first, the idea of all these new powers excited her, and being a vampire was a promising, new sensation, but now it was as if she had lost all enthusiasm…the minute she saw that boy.

Her heart no longer wished to feed on the blood of others, though her body commanded it. She didn't even want to help Vlad destroy these mortals. She would rather ask them questions, they seemed to know so much about her, but she knew little of them, and yet she still felt as if she had known them at one time. Her eyes no longer held the demonic mischievousness they had only hours after her transformation. Quietly, she replaced the tiny device, and stared longingly at the threshold of the room. They would arrive soon; even she could sense it now. All she could do was wait.

"Are you sure we're going the right way?" Kari asked, glancing at the foreboding bloodstained walls.

The place seemed ancient to the keeper of Light, and she could sense great evil about it while being detained behind its walls. The putrid stench of death was overpowering, and it made her stomach churn. She could not imagine how many innocent people had fallen victim to the fiendish Vlad Tepes in the very hallway that they were currently stumbling down.

"No, I'm not sure." Tai said a bit irritated. "I've never taken the official tour." He added sarcastically.

Kari knew her brother became all the more restless as they made their way deeper into the vampire's lair. She attributed it to a number of things and quickly dismissed it from her mind. However, she could not ignore the dark vibes the structure had given off the moment they entered it. She wondered if she was the only one feeling its evil pull.

T.K. cradled the flashlight in his hand; he had stuffed the wooden stake into his back pocket and was now trying to keep his mind at ease by rolling the flashlight back and forth, from his left hand to his right hand. They did not require the assistance of the flashlight any longer, as the hall was lit by thousands of candles. The soft flicker of light from a thousand tiny flames cast an eerie glow about the place.

He shivered as a cold sensation ran the length of his spine and came back. His crystal blue eyes darted from the ceiling to the doorways. Hundreds of locked doors, on either side of the corridor. What purpose did they all serve? And what lay behind them, T.K. could only envision.  Images of undead corpses smashing through them made the young boy's knees quake, and he nearly lost his balance. He hoped they would find Sora soon, but even if they did, they hadn't a clue on what to do from there. Tai, their fearless leader, seemed bound and determined that he would destroy the head vampire. The information Izzy had supplied them with was not very comforting in their present situation. He stated simply enough that all one had to do was assassinate the vampire responsible for creating the others, and this would reverse the effects, changing all newly transformed vampires back to their original state. Before Vlad had gotten to him, he had emailed Tai a plethora of vampire knowledge and folklore. But it was one thing to announce that you would kill the one and only Dracula, and another to actually do it. T.K. reasoned that this creature had been around for centuries, and no one had succeeded in eradicating him yet, so what were the chances of a few teenagers ridding the world of the supreme evil, armed with only a flashlight, a wooden stake, a crucifix, and intrepid resolve. It was clear to T.K. that their little hunting group was no match for the master of darkness, and yet hope still remained. They had single-handedly saved the world once before, but at that time they had their digimon to help. Now T.K. really wished Angemon were here.

Tai scanned the hallway thoroughly after taking each step. He wanted to be prepared for anything that may be unexpected. After clearing Mircea's trap, he had decided to take the eastern route. Tai might have accredited his decision to the blinking digivice he held firmly to, but something; some sort of powerful entity had drawn him in that direction, even before he checked the device. He was sure it was Sora, or at least that is what he made himself believe. In truth, he was just as frightened as the rest, but he refused to give up on the auburn-haired girl who had stolen his heart. He would find a way to cure her; there was no doubt in his mind or his heart about that. 

Radu waited a few more minutes before gliding down from the ceiling, and resting his light frame upon the carpet of the hallway. He could wait no longer, as the desire to find out if his assumptions were correct hung heavy on his mind.

With cat-like agility and amazing speed, he made his way down the corridor silently, his feet never touching the floor.

"Welcome.  Digidestined, is it?" Vlad greeted his guests who were just rounding the corner to the entrance of the eastern wing.

The four teenagers all halted at once, staring in surprise at the old fiend. He craned his neck to get a better look at them; they all seemed to be intact. Mircea had not put up much of a struggle due to the lack of evidence. The lead vampire only shook his head casually, as if he had expected as much. His vampiric eyes fell upon Matt, who had now taken a defensive position in front of T.K. Vlad chose not to make eye contact with Tai just yet.

Sora stood off in the shadows, waiting to be called upon. Tai spotted her at once and took a step forward, when he felt an invisible force push him back to the threshold.

"No, no." Vlad's eyes narrowed as his face twisted into a sadistic smirk, revealing two pointed teeth. 

Tai clenched his fists in rage, fury rising in his blood. He did not like to be toyed with.

Still ignoring Tai, Vlad's eyes immediately locked on Matt and the stitches peaking out from under his shirt collar. The vampire could detect a faint scent of dried blood and his mouth began to water eagerly. He had wanted to finish what he had started.

With a light flick of his wrist, an unseen force grabbed Matt by the throat and dragged him towards the vampire's outstretched arms.

"Matt!!" Tai and T.K. yelled in unison, as the younger blonde tried to lunge forward and catch hold of his brother, but it was as if Vlad had created some sort of barrier, marring their way.

Matt tried to dig his heels into the wooden floor, but only succeeded in postponing the inevitable for a brief instant. His hands clutched at the invisible force constricting his throat as his body struggled in vain to escape.

Vlad wrapped his arms around the blonde, his cape encircling the two. As soon as he was delivered into the vampire's clutches, the stranglehold on his throat disappeared. Matt stared up into Vlad's unnaturally violet eyes, the utmost fear scrawled across his face. Vlad was considerably taller than Matt by at least half a foot or more, and he towered over the youth. His head tilted down, and he studied the boy's expression. A mix of awe, panic, and complete terror mingled within the blue orbs and pale features of Matt's face. This was the moment Vlad had been waiting for, as he bared his fangs and hissed, so close to the boy's face that a few tufts of hair wavered from his hot breath.

Matt squeezed his eyes shut and tried to turn his head away, but it felt as if his entire body was frozen. He either guessed that he was petrified with fear, or Vlad had some kind of telekinetic hold on him.

"Matt!" T.K. cried out again, lunging toward the invisible force field that now seemed to be present. He impacted with a slight thud before falling to the floor. Kari rushed to his side and attempted to help him up, when a pair of ice-cold hands gripped her by the shoulders.

Kari let out a shriek of surprise as the sharp fingernails dug into her skin. She twisted her head in time to see her attacker before he sank his teeth into the soft flesh of her neck. The young girl cried out in pain, but the feast was short lived as Radu was knocked from his prey by a blur of blue and wild brown hair.

T.K. quickly scrambled to his feet and darted over to the injured girl, catching her before she nearly fainted. He held her firmly in his arms. A small whimper escaped the back of his throat as he glanced back over to his older brother. There was no way he could help him now.

The world spun before her, as Kari tried desperately to regain her senses. The side of her neck ached from the recent puncture wounds inflicted by Radu. She felt her knees buckle, and was about to let herself fall into the comfort of darkness when two strong hands caught her. The young girl laid back lazily in his arms. She knew they belonged to T.K. Tilting her head up she gazed into his troubled eyes. It was not he who saved her, no; she shook her head, as the realization finally struck.

"Tai?" she said weakly, attempting to stand on her own. T.K. held her steady until she stood firmly by herself. In an instant, she was by his side.

The brunette's attack had only caught Radu off guard for a few seconds as the boy slammed him to the ground. The youngest vampire rebounded quickly and stood over the teenager who lay crumpled at his feet.

Tai put out a shaky hand and tried to lift himself up. He shifted part of his weight to one elbow and propped himself up, but his eyes caught sight of a pair of shiny black shoes and he looked upwards to see Radu glaring down at him menacingly. Kari was immediately by his side, followed by a somewhat reluctant T.K. That is when the standoff commenced, as three pairs of bright, resolute eyes stared down those of the vampire's. Each watching one another's move, waiting…and watching, like a game of cat and mouse it became.

Matt's trembling blue eyes stared into Vlad's preternatural orbs. Searching for some sort of reprieve and finding none. This creature knew nothing of mercy. And finally Vlad could take the offending eyes no longer. There was something different about these chosen children, and Vlad felt as though Matt's eyes were trying to penetrate the soul that was non-existent in him. He reached up with one hand and moved his fingers in a slow downward motion, and as if by magic, Matt's eyelids started to droop, following the gesture. The teenager was about to succumb to the vampire's sorcery when his eyes locked upon the scar Vlad bore on the palm of his hand. Fighting the urge to close, his eyes immediately shot back open, as he gazed at the scar fixatedly.

The crest around his neck began to glow neon blue, shining through his t-shirt. Vlad's face scowled with contempt as he withdrew his hand, cursing under his breath that he had neglected to remember that minor detail.

It was too late, however, and Matt had seen it and was sure he was not mistaken. The outline of the crest of Knowledge was emblazoned on the man's hand. Vlad sneered at the streaks of blue radiating from underneath the teenager's shirt and grasped the boy by the jaw.

"You will not live to tell the tale." He hissed, as he was about to sink his sharp fangs into the boy for a second time. He was never able to execute his attack, as a blast of blue light separated them. The force was strong enough to send Vlad reeling backwards, crying out in pain as the light seared his skin.

All heads turned to face the spectacle. The barrier had been broken and T.K. was the first to race across the threshold.

"What happened?" he cried, praising whatever it was that had driven the vampire back.

Matt had stumbled backwards, but quickly regained his balance as his little brother rushed towards him.

"The crests." Was all the boy could muster, his eyes darting back to the stunned Vlad Tepes.

Hearing this, Tai grinned arrogantly as he whipped out his digivice and held it up before Radu. The youngest vampire took a step back in shock. He had witnessed this power before at Sora's transformation and he did not wish to tamper with it.

The auburn-haired girl had been awaiting her cue, watching the events unfold before her. That other boy, the blonde…he also had a crest similar to hers. Her gaze fell on Tai who was holding Radu at bay with the threat of his digivice. And…Tai…he had the same device as hers, but what did it all mean?

"Sora! Destroy them now!" Vlad hollered, still dazed from the effects of Matt's crest. The girl had no time to ponder these coincidences, her master needed her, and as a faithful fledgling, she would obey.

"Sora?" Tai stammered, turning in the direction of the teenage girl. Radu took this opportunity to strike, but was blasted back by a shock of green light. He shot a malicious glare over to T.K. as he took to the air. 

The child of Hope clenched his fist in determination as he held out his digivice, aiming it at the flying demon.

While T.K. diverted Radu's attack, Tai and Kari began to run towards Sora, the girl looked confused, but at the same time deadly. Her eyes glowed a crimson red as she bared her white fangs at the two. She stood in front of Vlad protectively.

"No harm shall come to my master." She stated, her voice dripping with venom.

"Sora, you don't know what you're saying! He's the enemy!" Tai pleaded, to this Sora only shook her head, as her eyes flickered with doubt.

"He kidnapped you!" Kari added, "And tried to brainwash you, but we know you still remember us!" the younger girl said, holding up her crest. "You're one of us!"

"Please Sora!" Tai cried, "Please remember. You gotta remember! We're the digidestined! We're a team! Me, and Kari, T.K., Izzy, Matt, Mimi, and Joe! You know them! We're your friends!"

"They're right!" Matt said, as he dodged a swooping Radu, both he and T.K. were now running defense, to allow the others time to convince Sora of her true self. "You have the power within you to fight this!"

Sora remained planted in her current position.

"They are clouding your mind with lies!" Vlad shouted. "Do not listen to them!"

"You know what we are saying has some truth to it, if you didn't slightly suspect it yourself, you would have killed us by now!" Tai screamed.

Of course he was right. That had been the only reason why Sora hadn't attacked as Vlad instructed her to. She was forced to hesitate, as the thoughts quickly raced through her mind. She did know these teenagers, and she wanted to believe them, but she was still loyal to Vlad.

Radu grew tired of playing games with these children and was now considering what Mircea had suggested earlier, about destroying Sora and dealing with them in their own way. He opted for this, when he saw the female vampire reach her hand out towards Tai.

"I do want to believe you. If I go with you, then will you leave my master at peace?" the girl asked, her hand feeling as though it was being drawn to this boy.

In one swift motion, Radu had managed to incapacitate the brothers, knocking them into one another. T.K. flew into Matt after Radu swooped in, clothes lining the boy as he was momentarily distracted by Sora's offering. They both landed in a heap on the floor, while Radu made his way over to the fireplace located on the center wall of the room, retrieving one of the tools used to stoke the flames.

"Deceitful wench!" he cried as he moved to stab Sora with it.

Seeing this, Tai prepared himself for the ultimate sacrifice and tackled Sora to the ground as the vampire drove the poker down with potent force, impaling the youth.

A sharp cry of agonizing pain arose from Tai's lungs as he fell to his knees, with one end of the make-shift iron weapon jutting out of his chest, as another pierced through his back.

His breathing became short, labored gasps, as a sickening gurgle caught in his throat. His eyes went wide at the sight of the iron rod sticking out of his chest. Beads of sweat covered his forehead as his face turned pale.

Sora looked up from her position on the floor, and as she stared at the boy in sheer amazement, a hundred memories invaded her mind all at once. She knew Tai, she knew Kari, and once again she knew them all; the traumatic event causing her memory to return to her.  Red tears pricked the edges of her eyes and her lower lip quivered. 

"Tai…no." she choked, her head falling in despair.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" Kari screamed, as a blinding white light shot out from her crest, claiming everything in its path, including the vampire Radu.

His screams of horror were drowned out by Kari's cries of anguish. Tears streamed down her face as the light slowly began to fade, and all that remained of Radu were the burnt ashes scattered across the blood red carpet.

A sinister chuckle escaped Vlad's lips as he finally recomposed himself. His eyes fell upon Tai, and his face twisted into an evil grin, masking the fear that had begun to well up in the pit of his stomach. With one blast from her crest, Kari was able to disintegrate Radu, and he could not have this happening to him. He did not recall any of the children possessing such a powerful ability, but then again he had underestimated them.

"I see my brother did take after me." he snickered, admiring his late brother's handiwork.

"Leave him alone!" Sora shrieked, standing in between him and the injured Tai, her crest gleaming red.

"So now you betray me?" he stated simply as though it was not meant to be a question, but rather a fact, all the while keeping an eye on the one whom he considered to be the most dangerous of all the chosen children.

"Tai?" Kari whimpered, falling to her knees beside her brother.

The older boy's eyes were glazed over in pain, and a thin trail of blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, and down the contour of his chin.

T.K. was the first of the two brothers to slowly rise. He blinked hazily at the scene before him, rubbing his eyes as if they were deceiving him. Matt stood up next to his brother and teetered to the side, having to use the younger boy for support. His mouth was agape and his heart began to pound wildly in his chest. Never had he conceived a fate like this would befall his best friend. His view shifted to the pile of ash where Radu had once stood and back to Tai.

"Quite disturbing, isn't it?" Vlad teased, as he reached a smooth, white finger to the trail of blood coming from Tai's mouth. Dabbing at it, he brought the blood-soaked finger back to his lips, and his vampiric tongue snaked out and cleaned the crimson liquid from it.

"You bastard!" Sora screamed, pounding her fists upon his chest. Vlad only grinned at this vain attempt to inflict pain upon him.

"Tai, I'm so sorry!" Sora wailed, dropping down beside him, eyes flooded with red tears, streaking down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry too….Sora…." Tai replied, a single tear rolling down his face, as he struggled to maintain steady breathing.

Vlad pushed Sora aside, who did not even put up a fight, her eyes taking on a hollow appearance, and walked past Tai over to Kari.

"You have killed my brother, Hikari Kamiya" And without another word, sent her flying into the wall with a wave of his hand.

"Kari!" T.K. called out, starting to run to her aide, but found himself being held back by Matt. He held out his digivice, and it started to glow a greenish hue before being snatched from his hand by Vlad's telekinetic powers. Two of his brothers had been killed at the hands of these children and his animosity towards them rose higher. First he vowed to destroy Light, for she posed the greatest threat.

"Let me go!" he yelled at Matt, as his struggles ceased for he knew he was no match for Dracul, not by himself and not without his digivice.

Kari hit the wall with a loud, bone-crunching crack, and remained pinned there under Vlad's control, not even able to move her arms or legs.

"Tai…" Sora whispered, grabbing hold of one of his hands. It was cold and shaky. "Please don't leave me Tai…" her eyes darted over to Kari, then to Matt and T.K. They were all helpless, and their leader was dying fast as his lifeblood drained from him, spilling out onto the already blood-red carpeting.

"Sora?" Tai nearly choked, his voice ragged. The wheezing had gotten worse and she suspected the iron rod had punctured a lung.

"Please…take care of Kari…"

"Tai, you don't know what you're saying, you're delusional." She babbled, trying to convince herself that he would be okay, but realizing that he wasn't, and there was nothing she could do…or was there?

Nasty little cliffhanger, isn't it? I really hope my lack of digimon doesn't disappoint. But fear not, for I'm scheming up another fic that should involve them all, and the digimon, as well as vampires. Hehe. =) R+R please. Oh yeah, the last chapter should be up by tomorrow, once I get out of school. *crosses fingers* And please excuse any errors, this chapter has not been beta read.


	12. Ending the Reign of Darkness

A/N: Alright, fair warning, I was not pleased with how this chapter came out, but it is the last one. So enjoy! ^_^ BTW, **sailormoonshadow, raine, **and I are holding a season 1 fic contest, so if you want the details go to **sailormoonshadow's** profile page, or review her fic 'In a New Light' or mine, 'For What It's Worth'. Okay, that's about all! *looks at chapter and shakes head* UGH! LOL!

Oh yeah, almost forgot, this goes at the end of the fic too. Yeah, I know boring author's notes…anywho…I did background research before writing this thing, so FYI, Vlad Tepes is the original Dracula, aka Vlad the Impaler, and he did have two brothers in real life, Radu and Mircea. Hey a mini history lesson! ^_^ Most of the stuff I based my vampire lore on comes from a few online sites that I cannot even remember the URL to anymore, as well as the movie The Lost Boys…awesome vamp flick I might add. Hehe. And a lot of my inspiration comes from Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles. Vlad's origin was a mixture of fact, fiction, and my own warped mind. Also, any spelling or grammatical errors are my own doing, as most of this story was written from midnight to 3am and not a single chapter was beta read. *sighs* Okay **SomeguyY2k**, this concludes my entry for your vamp fic contest! I tried to stick to the guidelines as much as possible. Anyways, happy reading!

Rating: R *shrugs* to be safe anyway.

Tai looked up in horror to see Radu advancing on Sora with malice in his eyes. The boy only had a split second to react, choosing Sora's life over his own as he unselfishly dove into the line of fire.

After that, everything became a blur to him, as he fell to his knees. The voices around him were only audible to a certain extent. He faintly made out his sister's scream, and from the corner of his eye witnessed a blazing white light shoot forth aimed directly at his attacker.

He sucked in what little air he could, as a throbbing sensation gripped him. He wanted to double over in pain, but noticed an iron rod protruding from his chest. And as he struggled for breath a warm liquid seemed to fill his lungs, choking him. The liquid induced coughing, and Tai could feel the warm fluid rising up in his throat until it reached his mouth, exiting out the corner of his lips. It was blood.

Taking his mind from the pain and the ghastly sight of the fireplace poker now embedded in his chest, Tai shifted his gaze to Sora. Her tiny fangs peeked out from the edges of her upper lip and she looked at him with worry. No longer did she appear evil and confused, as she had the first time he saw her as a vampire. Now she seemed lost in her own thoughts of despair.

It wasn't until Vlad came strutting over to Tai did he remember his presence. His eyes met those of the murderer, Vlad the Impaler, the one who stole his love from him and cursed her for all eternity, Vlad Tepes, the vampire…Dracul. His mind lacked the words he wished to speak, and it was probably for the best, since it seemed he could not move his jaw.

Tai scowled inwardly as the vampire relished in the blood that trickled down his chin. Had he been able, he would have ripped the fiend apart, but in his present condition, he couldn't even lift his fingers. Every fiber in him screamed out in agony. The adrenaline that had served in numbing the initial pain and shock was now subsiding, leaving him to suffer immensely.

He wished for circumstances to be different. He imagined himself and Sora eating ice cream together, or the night he picked her up for Matt's concert. And then his thoughts drifted towards his sister, and to the rest of the digidestined. It was then Tai knew that he was dying. A fear like none he had ever experience quickly fled through his body. He did not want to die; not while so much was left unsaid, and certainly not while creatures such as Vlad roamed the earth.

Sora's face was stained with red as she had begun to weep. She told Tai she was sorry, though sorry for what, he could not comprehend. None of this had been her fault. She was an innocent pawn in Vlad's game of death. He finally found the strength somewhere to respond, letting Sora know that he was sorry too. Sorry that it hadn't turned out differently, sorry for what could have been, and sorry for what would now never be.

Once again his eyes fell on the auburn-haired girl. She was doing her best to comfort him, as ineffectual as it were. A loud noise caught his attention, but he dared not move to see what it was. Cries from T.K. informed him that it must be Kari. He began to break out in a sweat, his mind deeply troubled for his sister and he was helpless. In all his years he had never felt as completely useless as he did at that moment. He began to think that no one could empathize with him, until he caught the hollow emptiness of Sora's eyes. She looked as though her world was falling down around her and there wasn't a single thing she could do to stop it, much like Tai felt.

"Please…take care of Kari…" he managed as he felt the darkness beckoning to him with the promise of an end to all his suffering. He tried to fight it, to hold out a little while longer, but the will to fight was slowly draining along with his blood.

Matt watched in morbid fascination as Kari's body was flung into the wall, eliciting an earsplitting crack, which he took to be some of the young girl's bones giving under the potent force at which she was exerted. He watched as T.K. desperately tried to save her using his digivice, and silently mourned as the device was lifted from his grasp. He would not let his brother fall victim to this fiend and quickly grabbed him when he tried to lunge at the creature.

Matt held on firmly, bowing his head in defeat. He looked to Sora, his sapphire blue eyes pleading with her to do something…anything. She was the only one who possessed similar powers to Vlad. He had wanted to act as his brother had, but knew it would be unwise to do so. Another part of him wished to be by his best friend's side, but he feared risking his or T.K.'s life if he were to move. What they needed was a plan.

Sora knew what she had to do; in her heart she knew it was the right thing. Her eyes met with Matt's for a fleeting moment, begging her to do something, and now she was prepared.

Kneeling down in front of Tai, she caressed his cheek with her hand.

"Tai?" His eyes that were void of light fell upon hers. "Please forgive me…I…I love you." She all but sobbed, leaning forward and brushing her lips against his in a light kiss.

Tai felt as if he knew what she was about to do next and shut his eyes. He wanted so badly to return the kiss, he wanted to repeat the words she had spoken to him, but his body was on the verge of death and denied him the pleasure.

He winced in slight discomfort, for pain was not the appropriate word anymore. Pain was being impaled by a red-hot fireplace poker, not being bitten by the sharp fangs of his teenage love. Sora drank from him, almost greedily, acting more on instinct though, as Tai was her first victim, and the first was always the most satisfying for a fledgling vampire. She could feel his heartbeat, as the blood drained from his body and into hers. Their crests did not light up, as Sora's had done when Vlad had taken her. This time there was no sense of danger. As the blood drained from him, Tai became weaker and started to slump down. Sora held him up as best she could, her preternatural powers only giving her an added boost of strength.

As soon as Sora felt his heart begin to flutter faintly, she knew the transformation process was halfway complete. Now all she had to do was get Tai to drink from her.

Vlad ventured forth, slowly closing the gap between he and Kari, his fangs glistening in the soft candlelight that bathed the room in a warm glow. Matt and T.K. agreed that it was now or never, and if they didn't do something soon, Kari would fall victim to the treacherous creature. Lifting his digivice, Matt aimed it at Vlad and a blue burst of energy rushed forth, burning the exposed flesh of the left side of his face. With an angry growl he sent the blonde crashing back into the adjacent wall, where he slumped to the ground and did not move. Wasting no time, T.K. darted over to the doorway where a few candles were located. Seizing one, he whirled around and reached into his pocket withdrawing the vile of makeshift holy water he and Kari had concocted in the bathroom sink. It was one of the items he had retrieved from the ground before they had entered Vlad's domain, and he remembered quite clearly that its contents included a great deal of rubbing alcohol, seeing as the two had no idea what they were doing at the time. He doused the back of Vlad's cape with the liquid, causing the vampire to turn his head just in time to see T.K. thrusting the flame towards him.

"You little wretch!" he sneered, as he backhanded the boy, causing him to stagger back and fall to the floor. His cape caught ablaze instantly, and in his panic released Kari from his telepathic hold. The young girl dropped to the floor, wincing in slight pain, as her meeting with the wall had caused considerable damage to her backside, and she suspected some bruising was already apparent.

Vlad tore the article of clothing from his body and cast it aside without a second glance. The flaming cape landed among a stack of kindling next to the hearth. Why a vampire would have need for a fireplace in the first place was an enigma that would go unsolved. He turned his attention back to Kari who was crawling to her feet when he noticed his creation feeding upon the fatally wounded boy.

At first one would think Vlad would be pleased, but he knew better than to believe Sora had rejoined his side.

"Impudent jade!" he cursed, ready to attack when Kari and T.K. double-teamed him, tackling him to the floor.

While these events were unfolding, Sora gently tore at the skin on her wrist as Vlad had done with her, and offered it to Tai. The boy's eyes threatened to roll back into his head and she hastily shoved her wrist up to his mouth. The first few faint droplets of blood trickled down onto his tongue. His blood, mixed with Sora's vampire DNA aroused an animal-like stimulus within him and he latched onto the girl's wrist. Sora took great joy in the teenager's reaction; this meant that the transformation was working. As soon as Tai had had his fill he released her limb, panting fiercely as the vampire blood began to reconfigure his genetic makeup, causing his canine teeth to grow in length, forming two finely sharpened fangs. With renewed strength and vigor, Tai was able to stand on his own. Sora, pleased with her work stood back admiring her love in his new vampiric body.

Tai grasped the end of the iron rod and easily pulled it from his chest, letting it clatter to the floor. A gaping hole remained, but the vampire DNA quickly went to work regenerating the flesh over the wound. Tai inhaled deeply, his senses were keenly alert and stronger than before. He felt as though he had been awakened from a long slumber that had refreshed his entire body.

He turned to Sora, smiling mischievously. The auburn-haired girl suppressed a slight smile, guessing that this was the way all fledgling vampire's started out.

At about this time was when Vlad had noticed the two, and had planned on putting a stop to them, when he was thwarted momentarily by the two youngest digidestined.

Tai embraced Sora in his arms, feeling much more stronger. Somehow, his crest worked differently as a vampire, giving him immense strength, Sora was nearly crushed by his hug. He whirled around to see his sister and T.K. wrestling with Vlad on the floor. Each one was eventually flung off in opposite directions.

"I tire of these games!" Vlad boomed, as he stood full height in front of the two fledglings.

Tai took a protective stance in front of Sora, his veins coursing with unbridled energy and raw emotion. Instead of remaining on the sidelines, Sora rushed over to T.K. and then Kari, gathering the two together to make sure they hadn't been harmed. She led them behind Tai, where she as well as he could better protect them.

Matt was roused from his state of unconsciousness by the smell of smoke curling its way into his nostrils. He squinted his eyes and felt the back of his head. No bump, but he was sure he'd have one hell of a headache later on. A few feet in front of him he could see where the stack of wood by the fireplace had caught fire, spreading to other various objects in the room, including part of the carpeting and a small bookcase. He wondered how long he had been out, but figured it hadn't been long when he spotted his brother and friends a few feet away facing off with Vlad. He vaguely wondered if they were even aware of the fire.

Tai glared daggers into the eyes of Vlad. It seemed an eternity that the two stared each other down. Tai's fingers began to twitch impatiently, anticipating the next move. The head vampire wasted no time in his attack. He rushed forward, clutching Tai by the neck. The young boy had not expected him to have such speed, but immediately gripped Vlad's wrists, squeezing down with great force. Vlad quickly released his hold, jerking his hands back. This one was remarkably strong, unlike that of Sora. With her crest came the powers of seduction, powers she had unknowingly used on Vlad earlier that night, when she was instructed to kill Tai and the other children. He would have destroyed her right after she had failed to do so, but looking into those bewitching eyes, he found he could not harm her.

In an attempt to dodge one of Vlad's angry fists, Tai took to the air.

"Cool!" Tai blinked, as he hovered above Sora, T.K., and Kari.

"Tai watch out!" Sora warned, as Vlad also became airborne, delivering a right uppercut to the boy's jaw.

Tai's head snapped back and he let out a small growl. Oddly enough, the punch did not hurt as much as he thought it would. He rebounded quickly and was able to send his elbow into Vlad's gut, causing the older vampire to double over slightly, at which point Tai's fist connected with his left cheek.

Vlad grabbed at his face emitting a ferocious scream. That had been the side of his face that had been burned by Matt's digivice, and now it throbbed irrepressibly, for the undead tissue would not heal right away when damaged by light.

Tai hovered a few feet back, wanting to be at a safe distance if Vlad should retaliate. Sora's eyes flickered evilly, and she reached down and retrieved the iron rod that had been embedded in Tai. 

"Tai! Catch!" she cried, tossing the object up to him.

Glancing over his shoulder, Tai easily caught the weapon, giving Sora a wicked smirk. With one mighty thrust, he rammed it into Vlad's stomach, and drove him into the wall.

Vlad writhed in extreme pain, but there was no way for him to get loose, as the part of the rod protruding from his back was now embedded in the wall, while the other end was held fast by the vampire Tai.

"How does it feel?" Tai whispered rhetorically, as his eyes narrowed at the suffering vampire.

Kari looked upon her brother in astonishment; this was not normal behavior for him. She guessed that the vampiric blood must have given him a strong sadistic urge. He was about to start twisting the rod so that he could watch Vlad suffer even more, when his sister's voice of reason broke through his clouded mind.

"Tai! Don't!" she cried. 

Sora's fists had been clenched, and she could not deny that she had been taking some pleasure in Vlad's torture as well, but when she heard Kari's cries, she turned to face the younger girl.

"This isn't right." Kari shook her head. She above all despised this vampire, but no one was deserving of such treatment in her eyes, no matter how much wrong they had done. "If you're going to kill him, just get it over with!" she pleaded, burying her face into T.K.'s chest as she could not stand the sight of it anymore, it reminded her too much of when her brother was on the verge of death only moments earlier.

Tai loosened his grip on the fireplace poker a bit. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew what Kari was saying was right. He had also been guilty of letting his preternatural senses take over his mind. And even though he was on the side of good, the blood within him lusted for carnage, which he had been all too ready to supply. His face twisted in thought as he contemplated his sister's words.

Of course this may have been the biggest mistake he could have made, as it gave Vlad the opportunity to escape. Tai's head jerked back to Vlad as he felt the bar move between his fingers. It had been too late though, as the vampire ripped the weapon from his midsection, forcing Tai to hover back, lest he be impaled a second time that night.

As Vlad got a good hold on the weapon, he swung out at the teenager, narrowly clipping his right ear as Tai ducked.

"I will not be so generous when I get a hold of you!" Vlad hissed, taking another swing at the boy. The iron rod whipped through the air, whistling every time it came down. Tai made a zigzag pattern as he avoided Vlad's onslaught, until finally he reached up and grasped the rod in mid-swing.

The older vampire's eyes went wide in shock, as he had truly underestimated this fledgling. Tai twisted the weapon from Vlad's hands and it sizzled through the air as he returned a few of Vlad's blows, this time hitting his mark perfectly, unlike the half-hazard attempts of his opponent. The first blow caused a small metallic device to clatter to the floor, and T.K. recognized it at once as being his lost digivice. He swiftly darted out from behind Sora to retrieve it. The vampire girl was too enthralled with the battle overhead to notice, but Kari had tried to hold him back.

"T.K.!" Matt hissed at his younger brother. "What are you doing1?" T.K. quickly scrambled over to his brother who had taken refuge behind some of the furniture.

"I had to get this back." He grinned holding up the small apparatus. Matt was almost ready to strangle him for being so foolish, especially while a battle was raging on above their heads, but he sighed knowing he probably would have done the same thing.

"Hey, that wall is on fire." T.K. announced, pointing to the wall on their left.

"I know, we have to get out of here before the whole place caves in. Once the ceiling catches, I don't think there will be anything else supporting this place and all that soil on top will probably cause it to collapse." Matt replied, gazing up at the wall of flames as they started to lick the edge of the ceiling.

"I'll go tell Sora." T.K. whispered, glancing down at his watch. "But wait it's almost dawn! We can't take Tai and Sora above ground, they'll fry in the sun!"

Matt hadn't thought of that, in all this time no one had ever planned that far ahead. They had only intended to rescue Sora.

"Gimme a minute to think squirt…and go tell Sora anyway." T.K. nodded and started to sneak back over to where her and Kari stood when Matt grabbed his hand. T.K. whirled his head around, "And be careful." his brother instructed.

 The evil Dracul sank to the floor, shielding himself with his hands from Tai's attack. Tai was spurred on by his deep hatred for this creature, something he could never bestow upon another living thing, but this being in particular deserved it. His love for Sora also urged him on, as each lashing contained some sort of retribution for all the suffering and torment the digidestined had been put through. Finally, out of breath, Tai dropped the weapon.

Vlad cowered behind his arms, making Tai believe he had beat him into submission. His preternatural senses kicked in and he could detect the smoke rising towards the ceiling, something he hadn't notice before, being engaged in battle.

"Sora!" T.K. cried, scrambling over to the teenaged girl. "This place is on fire!" Sora's head whipped around to see the flames engulfing the far wall. "We have to get out of here." She said taking Kari's hand.

"I won't leave Tai!" Kari yelled, yanking Sora back. The older girl had no intention of leaving Tai either, but her first duty was to ensure his sister's safety.

"You guys get outta here!" Tai hollered, his voice authoritative. Sora squeezed Kari's hand and was about to obey when Vlad sprang at the boy, pinning him to the ceiling. The smoke that had been rising upwards caught in his throat and he began to cough violently as Vlad held him.

"TAI!!" Sora screamed, releasing Kari as she propelled herself upwards. With all her might, she slammed into Vlad, knocking him sideways and freeing Tai momentarily. Furiously, Vlad clamped his hand around her throat and vehemently flung her to the ground.

"Do not interfere!!" he shouted, his last actions provoking a kick in the face from Tai.

Sora plunged downward at an alarming rate before her fall was broken by the coffee table in the center of the room. The table snapped in half and she lay upon the carpet uttering a soft groan.

T.K. and Kari immediately rushed to her side and helped her up, each slinging one of her arms over their shoulder, as they led her towards the staircase where Matt was waiting.

"Come on you guys, we're going this way!" he said indicating the stairs.

Groggily, Sora's eyes opened and a blurry vision of Vlad and Tai wrestling each other in mid air met her attention and she began to squirm.

"Tai needs my help!" she cried, struggling to free herself from the bearers of Hope and Light.

Tai and Vlad were now face to face, engaged in another staring contest. Tai traced his tongue along the outline of his fangs anxiously as he awaited Vlad's next maneuver. The elder vampire's mouth turned up in a small smirk as he lunged at the boy, ramming him towards the opposite wall, as his last desperate attempt to destroy him.

Matt's eyes darted from the two opponents, to the adjacent wall which was now covered in flames, and then to Kari. His mind raced with a surge of adrenaline as he sprinted over to the wall. Positioning himself accordingly, he turned his head and yelled to the Keeper of Light.

"Kari, use your digivice!!"

The brunette nodded, fully understanding the older blonde's plan, as she reached into her pocket and produced her device, the most powerful of all against the vampire race. T.K. quickly pulled Sora out of the way, afraid that she might get caught in the crossfire.

Tai hadn't realized the danger he was in, until he heard Matt call his name.

"TAI!! FIRE!!" Matt hollered in warning. Tai whipped his head around to see himself being driven into a wall of flames. He squeezed his eyes shut awaiting the impact, silently cursing to himself for not being a little bit more perceptive.

Just as he thought he would collide with the blazing inferno he felt someone reach up and grab his legs, pulling him down. He looked down in surprise to see Matt tackling him to the ground.

"NOW!" T.K. and Sora cried in unison to Kari, once her brother was clear of any danger.

The young girl lifted her digivice and in a flash of blinding white light terminated the vampire known as Vlad Tepes. A wail of agonizing pain echoed throughout the underground lair, and the children had to cover their ears at the deafening noise.

Vlad exploded into a million particles of dust as his vengeful cries continued to ring out into the stale air of his subterranean domain. T.K., Kari, and Sora cheered victoriously. T.K. swept the younger girl up into his arms and twirled her around as she giggled in delight.

Matt propped himself up on one elbow and gazed over at Tai, whose entire body was engulfed in a glowing orange. 

T.K. and Kari stopped their celebration short as they saw Sora was also shrouded in color, only hers was a pastel like red. Within seconds, the two auras surrounding them vanished, almost seeming to rise up into the air and disappear. The brown haired boy sat up and shook his head, as if that would help alleviate the massive headache he had begun to have. He hadn't even looked over towards Matt until he heard the blonde coughing as the room began to fill up with smoke.

"Let's go," Tai said, hoisting himself up. He offered his hand to Matt, and helped him to his feet.

"Wait," the blonde said, placing his hands on Tai's shoulders and looking at him closely.

"What?" Tai asked, a bit confused at this point. The entire complex was going up in smoke; they didn't have time for this.

"No fangs," Matt grinned. Tai reached up and felt his teeth, they were no longer sharp and his senses appeared to have returned to their normal attributes. Tai smiled, and the two boys ran to meet their friends, stopping at the foot of the staircase.

"How do we get out of here?" T.K. asked, scanning the area for an exit.

"Up here." Sora said, pointing to the stairs. "This leads up to a mausoleum."

Without delay the children hurried up the steps, reaching a door at the top. Kari pulled it open and everyone ushered into the darkness. She took one last look at the room that had housed evil for so long before slamming the door shut, leaving it to be consumed by the blaze.

The doorway led to another narrow flight of steps made of concrete. This room was unlit, and the five found it quite difficult to navigate the stairs in the dark, but eventually managed to make it to the top where yet another door lay.

"This is the exit." Sora said, tugging at the large door, "there's a fake wall behind this, so we'll all have to push," she instructed. When she was a vampire, the wall had been a piece of cake to manipulate, but now she was plain old Sora again, and this required the help of her peers.

As one, they all pushed against the wall, slowly sliding it outwards until dawn's light had broken through the shadows, illuminating the inside of the mausoleum. A stained glass window painted a beautiful picture along the walls, as Matt and T.K. inhaled deeply, taking in the first breaths of fresh air they had had in hours.

Sora smiled at their surroundings. She brought her tongue along the outline of her teeth to find no fangs. Of course she would have known right away if she were still a vampire, for she would have been burnt to a crisp when the rays of sunlight hit her as they came above ground, but she just had to check to make sure for herself.

As the others searched for a doorway leading out, Tai swept Sora into his arms and smiled as their noses touched one another.

"Sora," he murmured, "You don't know how long I've waited for this moment."

"You mean us together in a mausoleum?" she asked jokingly, her tomboyish attitude still maintaining some control over her romantic side.

"No silly." He said, squeezing her tightly. "I meant when we were back together again. I missed you so much, I must have spent hours worrying and hoping…praying that no harm would come to you."

"Oh Tai…" she whispered, her eyes welling up with tears, as she could not contain her emotions any longer. "I feared I'd never see you again…never be able to feel your arms around me, or run my hand through that mess you call hair." She grinned, "…or…" she paused, remembering what she had longed for most.

Tai's chocolaty brown eyes darted back and forth, searching her eyes for an answer, when he finally came to the conclusion himself.

"Or this..?" he asked, as he brought his lips to hers. Sora felt as though she could have melted in his arms, as their kiss lasted an extended period of time.

"Wait to go Tai." Matt said, gawking at the two.

"Whoa…" T.K. marveled, "when can I do that Matt?"

"Maybe in a few years squirt." Matt chuckled.

"Alright you two," Kari reprimanded, grabbing both brothers by an ear. "I found the exit." She said dragging them away from the scene.

"Ow, Kari, that hurts." T.K. whined

"Yeah, take it easy." Matt added, holding his sore ear once they had emerged from the crypt.

The sun shone radiantly over the eastern horizon without a cloud in the sky. The mist that had been present while Vlad and his brothers resided under the graveyard was now gone, and the grassy hills of the cemetery were a lush green.

"Okay you two, it's time to go." Kari announced, interrupting Tai and Sora, as a bright smile decorated her face.

"We're coming." Tai laughed, as he led Sora outside.

"Ugh!" the auburn-haired girl interjected looking down at her apparel. "What am I wearing!?" Tai only shook his head and chuckled as they both strolled back up to the front gate hand in hand as Matt and the others congratulated each other on a job well done.

Hours later, after a good long rest back at the children's respective homes, they all met up at the hospital to visit their friend Izzy, who was doing considerably better.

Tai tapped on the door quietly, as the sound of fingers dancing across computer keys caught his attention.

"Izzy?" he queried.

"Come in guys." The bearer of Knowledge welcomed them.

"Shouldn't you be resting?" Kari asked in a motherly tone, when she saw the redhead propped up on the bed with his computer in his lap typing away furiously.

"I found laying around and accomplishing nothing highly intolerable. So I decided to catalog your recent activities, especially when you called and told me how you defeated Vlad with the crests and digivices. I thought they only worked on digimon."

"Do you ever take a break from that thing?" Matt asked, spinning the nearest chair around and resting his arms on the back of it as he sat down.

"I'm going to assume that was a rhetorical question Matt." Izzy responded.

"Well I'm glad you're feeling better Izzy, you know you had us pretty worried." T.K. smiled.

"Thank you for your concern, but I assure you there is nothing more to worry about. The doctor says I am recovering quite rapidly."

"Uh yeah," Tai shrugged, "That means you'll get to come home soon, right?"

"Correct." Izzy laughed, going back to work on his laptop.

Sora had no idea what had happened to Izzy until the others had explained it to her on the way over, and that was after she promised her mother she'd be back within the hour.

"So Sora, what was it like?" Izzy inquired, "I mean, becoming a vampire, I should really like to hear your account."

"Well," she started, a little uncomfortable with the subject so shortly after their ordeal.

Like clockwork, Joe Kido, the eldest of the group came bursting into the hospital room.

"Perfect timing," Sora mumbled to herself thankful for good old reliable Joe.

"Alright I'm here and I'm ready for action!" Joe shouted, clenching his fists. "Where are those vampire goons!? I'll show them!" he blurted, out of breath.

"Um Joe?" Tai interrupted.

"Yeah?"

"They're gone. We destroyed them."

"Really?" the boy answered, somewhat disappointed.

"Yup, all done with," Matt said, shrugging as if it were nothing.

"So you're telling me I skipped a midterm for this?!" his eyes seemed to bug out of his skull.

"Calm down Joe," Sora grinned, "At least you're here now, and that's what counts. Besides, I'm sure you can make up that test. This is a family emergency."

"Well…I suppose," Joe gave a full-hearted smile, as he scratched the back of his neck nervously, his entrance had been rather melodramatic.

The other children laughed, reassuring Joe that he was just being his typical self and that was nothing to be ashamed of.

Their conversation was broken once again as another figure entered the room.

"Mimi!" Sora shouted, "How did you get here!?"

"I took a plane silly." The pink haired girl giggled.

"You came all that way to see me?" Izzy asked, somewhat blushing.

"Well I had hoped I'd be in time to help, but it looks like you guys have everything under control." She chirped, rushing over to Kari and Sora and giving them hugs. Eventually everyone received a hug from Mimi.

"Hey you guys, since we're all here and have nothing better to do, then why don't we go out and celebrate?" Mimi suggested, anxious to hit the malls. She hadn't been shopping in days.

"That'd be great Mimi, but Izzy's stuck here until the doctor releases him." Tai reminded them.

"Oh poo." Mimi stomped her foot "Well then, tell me all about this vampire stuff. There's a lot I haven't been filled in on." She smiled sweetly.

"I think that can be arranged." Izzy stated, glancing at Tai, as all the children gathered around his hospital bed.

"Okay, so this is how it all started…" Tai began.

Joe, Mimi, and Izzy marveled at the story that unfolded, as each one of the five (Matt, Sora, T.K., Kari, and Tai) took their turn in telling some part of it.

Doctors and nurses passed by the room, and every now and again stopped to listen briefly. Even a few visitors, and a couple of patients caught scant bits and pieces of their harrowing and adventurous tale. None of them, however, believed it was true, but each passerby agreed that they had highly active imaginations.

~Fin

UGH! What a horrible ending! I just finished re-reading this and even I think it sucks! LOL! Hopefully you will not be as critical as I am. *shrugs* Maybe I'm overreacting and it's not such a bad conclusion. Anywho, tis finally complete! WooHoo! *does a little dance* Much thanks to all my reviewers for all the support! I really hope this didn't disappoint too bad. I suck at endings, and I'm even worse at romance, so please excuse the sappiness towards the end. R+R! ^_^


End file.
